


Can Anybody See Me?

by CastielFollowMe



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angry Glenn, Bad brother Merle, Child Abuse, Child Daryl Dixon, Daryl Dixon Needs a Hug, Follows cannon storyline for most part, Gen, Hurt Daryl Dixon, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Daryl, Neglect, Protective Glenn, Team as Family, Young Daryl Dixon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 09:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 90,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8573848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielFollowMe/pseuds/CastielFollowMe
Summary: Sometimes people tend to forget that Daryl's a child. Younger than Carl. So, Glenn takes it on as his duty to make sure that someone watches over the boy in the apocalypse without realizing the bond that will form between the two. Family isn't only blood.AU - Child Daryl Dixon





	1. Learn to Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I only just recently got into the Walking Dead after hearing about how much the season 7 premiere destroyed my friends and family. I've been watching it for the past 3 weeks and am only up to season 3 but boy am I hooked. I've already found my two favs and want to hold them. Daryl and Glenn. Daryl drew me in as such an interesting character with a complex past and history and I'm enjoying the way his character is beginning to develop with each season. I love Daryl and I love kid fics so that's how this fic was born!
> 
> This mainly follows the cannon plots for season 1 and 2 and contains spoilers for there, but not everything is exact (mainly because I'm too lazy to re-watch episodes). Hopefully you enjoy!

                Glenn wouldn’t exactly consider himself a genius when it came to kids.

                So of course at the end of the world is the time where everyone else realized just how _bad_ Glenn was with kids.

                Thankfully, Carol was all smiles and only laughed when Sophia had decided that it was her job to take care of Glenn, rather than the other way around. Carl was a bit more discreet in which he avoided Glenn, any time the young man was asked to watch Carl. Lori could only send a small shrug (with barely concealed laughter) towards Glenn in these moments.

                Luckily, Glenn was away more than he was there in order to do runs for their group in Atlanta for supplies. He’d never been more thankful for his quickness and ability to find the shortest short-cuts until now. It was a nice relief to get away from everyone and just focus on gathering supplies in Atlanta. Though he couldn’t quite ever forget about the Walkers, considering they were around every corner that Glenn had been since the end of the world started.

                Although, nothing could ever compare to the newcomers when Glenn returned from a two-day trip to Atlanta. Nothing could ever quite prepare him for the little boy named Daryl Dixon.

 

* * *

 

                “Y’all got yourselves a chink too?” That was the first thing that greeted Glenn when he returned to camp. He was startled; not recognizing the voice and realizing the offensive name. However, he was way too tired to even bother arguing against the stranger. After all, he’d lost the car he’d stolen when it was overrun by Walkers and had to walk for nearly a day with _all_ the supplies on his back. The old, moldy cot in his tent was looking more and more like a King Mattress with memory foam and Egyptian cotton sheets.

                Glenn blinked when he nearly ran into the broad, dirty chest of another man. He looked up, clutching the straps of his bag, to see a grimy, hairy and dirty face of a sunburned man looking down at him with an absolute disapproving _sneer._ Glenn swallowed at the man’s bulk and hesitantly took a step back.

                “What’chu doin’ boy? Can’t them eyes of yours open any further?” The man snarled at Glenn and Glenn backed up again. By now, Lori and Shane were emerging from their tents and the others followed around. Glenn could see the annoyance and displeasure on Shane’s face and he couldn’t for the life of him understand _why_ Shane would let this man into their group.

                “Um…”

                “What’s a matter? Cat got your tongue chink?” The man sneered with a dark grin and Glenn was ashamed to admit that he squeaked in surprise when the man grabbed the strap to his back pack. Shane and T-Dog were already walking briskly up to Glenn and the man, who eyed them darkly.

                “Hey, knock it off Merle.” Shane hissed, grabbing Glenn by the shoulder and shoving him behind his body. T-Dog was already up in Merle’s face, to which Merle nearly spat on the other man. Glenn winced at the display, noticing Lori ushering Carl and Sophia back into their tents.

                “What man? I ain’t done nothing wrong. This Chinese man can’t see two feet in front of them, with them slanty eyes.” Merle spat, shoving T-Dog away from him. T-Dog squared up to him and Shane finally stepped beside him, and it was then that Glenn could see how nervous T-Dog was next to the man. That caused Glenn’s stomach to drop, because if T-Dog was nervous then that meant Merle was a danger.

                “Back of Merle.” Shane growled sharply; looking less afraid of the crude man in font of him than T-Dog was. “Glenn’s a part of this group and his life is worth _more_ than yours.”

                Glenn spluttered when Merle glared at him.

                “Why? Chinaman thinks he’s so brave, ‘cause he wants to run to Atlanta?” Merle rolled his eyes and Glenn gripped the straps of his backpack tighter.

                “I’m Korean.” Glenn couldn’t help but meekly respond. Shane rolled his eyes again and T-Dog sighed while Merle’s lips curled back in a snarl.

                “Whatever.”

                “Listen, you want to stay with us, you follow _our_ rules.” Shane threatened, face nearly up against Merle’s and Glenn would have commended him for his bravery if he wasn’t shaking in his sneakers at the moment. Merle’s overall aura was sending shivers down Glenn’s spine.

                Merle looked like he wanted nothing more than to shoot the ex-cop in the head but opted to remain quiet.

_Why was he even with their group?_

                There was soft rustling behind them, which caused Shane and T-Dog to look up. Shane’s eyes narrowed for a second while T-Dog’s softened at whatever was behind Merle, causing Glenn’s curiosity to peak. Hesitantly, Glenn looked over Merle’s shoulder and his breath caught in his throat.

                Behind Merle was a small boy, far dirtier than anyone else here, with ripped jeans and a sleeveless shirt that was way too big on him. He barely looked a day older than eight or nine, younger than even Carl, with skinny arms and tanned skin. Over his shoulder were a large brace of dead squirrels and a crossbow (that was much too big to be his) hanging at his hip.

                The boy eyed Glenn warily before turning his attention to Merle and Glenn saw the resemblance.

                His stomach churned when Merle’s smile became lecherous.

                “Hey baby brother. Got some dinner for us? Lemme help ya skin ‘em.” Merles stepped away from the group and place a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Glenn felt like he was the only one who noticed the slight flinch the boy made as they walked away.

                He knew he was the only one to notice the bruise under the boy’s shirt on his back.

                It turns out the boy was Daryl. He was Merle’s brother and he was barely nine-years-old. Glenn had figured two things out about the young boy in the weeks after “meeting” him.

                One: Daryl was afraid of his older brother, but he loved him.

                Daryl often went out to _hunt_ (Glenn almost had a heart attack when Daryl disappeared into the woods with a crossbow over his shoulder and a knife on his belt). Lori explained that usually Daryl went out to hunt for food with Merle tagging along to carrying bigger game. He was slightly appalled at the lack of concern in Lori’s voice during the conversation, considering she didn’t even let her own son look at a gun.

                Glenn would notice that Daryl’s blues eyes were a bit brighter when Merle opted not to join him on hunts and he wouldn’t flinch so much around other people. However, whenever Merle was _drunk_ or high off his mind, Daryl was the first to get in between his loud brother and the others before dragging him off to their shared tent. Occasionally, Glenn would catch Daryl stroking his brother’s face in a very tender motion, despite being significantly younger than Merle, and despite the fact that Merle probably beat the kid.

                Glenn knew he wasn’t the only one who heard the sounds of hands slapping against skin late into the night, but just like Carol, everyone opted to ignore it and turn a blind eye.

                Two: Daryl acted more like an adult than and a kid, and he hardly spoke.

                Glenn hadn’t heard much come from the young boy’s mouth, except for times when he yelled at Merle to leave the others alone when Merle was antagonizing one of them (usually Glenn or T-Dog) or begged him to leave them alone. Otherwise Daryl kept silent and to himself.

                Glenn also noticed that Daryl _never_ played with the other kids. None of them. He usually was found to be cleaning his bow and arrow or sitting in his tent, while the other kids ran around laughing and playing tag with one another. Sometimes when Daryl gathered firewood, Glenn would catch him swinging a stick around like a sword, only to drop it whenever Merle came into view.

                Glenn’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of Merle’s relationship with Daryl.

                It was like another Ed, Carol and Sophia game again.

                Everyone knew what Ed would do – it was obvious by the bruises on Carol’s arms and the looks Ed sent to Sophia but no one ever really acted out. This was mainly because Carol would ask them not to, after Shane, T-Dog or even Morales would clench their jaws at Ed’s smug form. There were plenty of times Shane or the other men would find a reason to keep Sophia and Carol separate from Ed, or take Ed on a hunt with them to keep Carol safe.

                However, everyone turned a blind eye to Daryl, Shane included, and it made Glenn sick to his stomach. It was obvious that there was something going on, with Daryl’s constant bruises or the exhausted look in his too young eyes.

                Still no one ever tried to help him. Not Lori. Not Shane. No one.

                Glenn found himself trying to keep Daryl always within sights, even when he went on hunts. That had spurred confusion into not only Daryl but also everyone else, Merle included.

                Glenn thought that Merle was going to beat the shit out of him when he offered to go with Daryl on a hunt instead of Merle. If Shane wasn’t watching, Merle surely would have wrung his hands around Glenn’s neck and squeezed until there was nothing left. However, he was surprised (Daryl too, by the look on his face) when Merle leered and grinned.

                “Alright. Maybe this chink could be of some use and catch us a _decent_ meal for once.” With that he stormed off to his tent, no doubt to get high again, and Glenn noticed the way Daryl’s shoulders sagged at Merle’s comment. Despite the dark look from Daryl and confusion in everyone’s eyes, Glenn was pleased that it was the first time Daryl ever spoke to him.

                Even if it was just to threaten Glenn. “You ain’t better get in my way.”

                All Glenn noticed was that Daryl hadn’t called him a racist name like his brother.

                Since then, Glenn more or less joined Daryl for his hunts and was surprised by the boy’s ability to hunt and survive in the woods _on his own._ He even learned how to catch scent of an animal and track them and his size proved to be of good use when Daryl killed a doe, but was unable to lift her because of his small stature. However, Glenn couldn’t always go and when he went on his runs to Atlanta, Glenn’s stomach would twist painfully until he was back at camp, only to see Daryl’s eyes trained on the floor every time with Merle sitting much too close to him.

                When Merle decided to hunt on his own, Glenn was surprised that Daryl had nothing he _had_ to do that day. Glenn could tell the boy didn’t know what to do; by the way he twiddled with the hilt of his knife and stood by his tent, while the kids played and the adults went for a swim in the river.

                Glenn looked up from where he was folding a sheet of old paper in his hand to throw into the fire, when he noticed Daryl tracing in the dirt with worn out boot.

                “Hey Daryl? Do you wanna write? I’ve got some paper here and Sophia has a box of crayons to use.” Glenn decided to call out, biting his cheek when Daryl glared his way. The boy shoved his hands into his back, looking ready to refuse Glenn’s offer but Glenn noticed the way that Daryl’s eyes darted around the camp.

                As if watching for someone.

                “Come on. It’s lonesome here by myself. I could use the company.” Glenn patted the empty chair beside him. Daryl continued to stand where he was, planted firmly to the ground. Glenn didn’t expect the boy to move right away and was ready to patiently (and anxiously) wait for the boy to do something.

                He was more than only a bit startled when Daryl plopped into the chair beside him, but Glenn was glad he was pretty good at schooling the emotion for Daryl’s sake. From the corner of his eyes, Glenn saw Daryl eyeing the crayons and paper with such a look of distain that he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Immediately, Daryl huffed and glared at Glenn.

                “Oh come on now, those crayons won’t bite, kid.” Glenn smirked when Daryl scowled at him, folding his arms over his chest.

                “Not a kid.” Daryl mumbled but still made no move to grab the crayons.

                Glenn rolled his eyes, feeling the tension drain from his entire body in seconds. “Sure and I was the president of the United States.”

                “Made a shitty pres’dent then.” Daryl mumbled under his breath, causing Glenn to snicker. He noticed the tiny smile twitching at the corners of Daryl’s mouth. It was as if he _wanted_ to laugh but something was holding him back.

                Or someone.

                “Probably. Thank god I never was. If I was president when this all came down, I’d be like, sorry guys you’re on your own. The Government is officially closed for the day.” Glenn snorted when Daryl rolled his eyes but there was the beginning of a smile on his lip. “Go ahead and use these crayons. Nobody is going to mind if you wanna write or draw.”

                At this, Daryl’s smile completely disappeared before his eyes casted towards the ground, hiding behind neck length hair. Daryl fiddled with his hands in his lap, suddenly appearing much smaller than he was and Glenn doubted that Daryl realized he was doing this.

                He quickly mumbled something under his breath, to which Glenn couldn’t understand. Glenn had to lean closer to the boy who still had his head down, and his hair covering his eyes.

                “I didn’t quite catch that?” Glenn blinked as Daryl’s face slowly flushed.

                “Said, I can’t write.” Daryl mumbled barely louder than before, but this time Glenn could catch it and he was honestly surprised. Just based on Merle and Daryl’s vocabulary and tone, he could tell the two were probably less educated than the rest of them but he never once figured that Daryl couldn’t write. The boy was nine-years-old, surely he had to have been in school by now.

                “Weren’t you in school before all this?” Glenn couldn’t help but ask and instantly regretted it when Daryl’s face flushed deeper.

                “Only fer a bit. Too busy t’ go to school.” Daryl admitted quietly. Glenn felt his heart ache at the tone of defeat and shame in Daryl’s voice when he spoke. He couldn’t even begin to imagine a life where a _child_ was too busy for school (at least before the end of the world).

                “Oh.” Glenn didn’t even know what to say. This was why nobody should ever leave a kid alone with him. He was no good at comforting or at social situations. Although, apparently Daryl wasn’t any better, if by the embarrassed look on his face said anything.

                “Can you…read?”

                “Yes!” Glenn winced at the defensive tone in Daryl’s voice. Of course he could. Daryl wasn’t an idiot after all.

                “Right, right. Then writing isn’t too hard. Do you – uh, do you want me to teach you?” Glenn nearly bit his tongue off after the question left his mouth. It didn’t help that Daryl was now looking at him as if Glenn had turned into a Walker. His baby blue eyes were wide with confusion, but his lips were pressed into a small snarl.

                “What you say?” Daryl barked and if it had been Merle, Glenn would have been frightened.

                “I said – uh, well, do you want me to teach you to write? It’ll come in handy.” Glenn awkwardly rubbed the back of his head when Daryl continued to stare at him. The two sat in an uncomfortable (very uncomfortable silence) with Daryl simply staring at Glenn. Eventually, Daryl broke eye contact to look down and his eyes were once again hidden behind a curtain of hair.

                “You’d really do that fer me?” Daryl asked quietly and Glenn’s heart broke at the voice sounding much smaller and vulnerable than ever in that moment. Glenn nodded before he realized that Daryl actually couldn’t see him and quickly cleared his throat.

                “Of course Daryl. Look we can start with your name.” That was how Glenn suddenly found himself becoming Daryl’s teacher for the time being. All the while neither he, nor Daryl or anyone else for the matter, realized a shift in the relationship between Glenn and Daryl.

                Forever.

 

* * *

 

                “Lookit.” Glenn blinked when a piece of paper was immediately shoved into his face, the moment he set foot into camp. He’d been gone for three days this time on a run to Atlanta. This time though, Andrea and T-Dog had decided to come along too, which honestly slowed Glenn down. Not that he wasn’t appreciative of the company and help, but he did better by himself.

                Andrea and T-Dog both shared a look at Glenn in confusion to which Glenn only shrugged. Once he grabbed hold of the paper, he couldn’t help but smile upon seeing Daryl right in front of him. This only further confused Andrea, as she warily watched the redneck boy, enthusiastically shoving a piece of paper at Glenn. However, she and T-Dog left at a shake of Glenn’s head in order to bring the supplies to camp.

                When Glenn looked down at the paper he saw several lines of letters and numbers in alphabetical and numerical order. Each as mess and looked like chicken scrawl but he could recognize every letter. However, what caught Glenn’s attention the most was the two names written cleanly at the bottom of the page.

                _Daryl._

_Glenn._

                Glenn ignored the fact that the Y in Daryl’s name was backwards and he couldn’t stop the proud grin from spreading across his lips even if he wanted to. Without thinking, Glenn was quick to reach over and ruffle Daryl’s hair, only stopping at the tiny flinch from Daryl.

                “Wow, this is awesome Daryl. What does it say?”

                Thankfully, Daryl did not pull away from Glenn and his face began to heat up at the praise. Glenn was sad to realize that the boy was probably not used to any sort of praise and was awkward in this type of situation.

                “You can read. Should know what it says.” Daryl mumbled out of embarrassment, unconsciously leaning into Glenn’s touch.

                “Aw, but I’m getting old here. I need some help sometimes.” Glenn teased, slinging an arm over the kid’s shoulder and leading them towards the main camp. Andrea and Shane were already discussing the supplies and probably the plans for the future.

                “It says Daryl. And Glenn.” Daryl finally mumbled with a roll of his eyes and pointed to each name as he spoke. Glenn’s smile only widened even further and his heart fluttered. He wondered if this was how his parents felt when Glenn came home with good grades or drew pictures for them. _God, quit thinking like that. You’re not his dad._

“That it does. And your handwriting isn’t too shitty.” Glenn joked, causing Daryl to smirk at the joke. Carefully, Glenn folded the piece of paper and placed it into his pocket against his chest, smiling as Daryl watched in confusion. “I’m going to hold onto this forever and cherish it.”

                At this, Daryl actually did snort and Glenn counted it as a win. He had yet to actually hear Daryl laugh and he was counting for the day that Daryl actually did laugh, full and wholly. He was sadden to realize how little the child laughed but brushed it aside.

                “You’re weird.” Daryl said quietly.

                “Aren’t we all in this world?” Glenn replied cheekily, ignoring the looks from everyone else in the camp. It was beginning to bug him how much everyone was treating Daryl like an outsider. He was a child for god’s sake. A child, in the middle of an apocalyptic nightmare, just like the rest of them.

                “I guess.”

                “Did you draw Glenn a picture?” Glenn and Daryl were both startled when Sophia and Carl emerged from beside them. Daryl awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, unable to look Sophia in the eyes. Carl frowned at the gesture and looked to Glenn for answers.

                “Ah, Daryl actually wrote me something.” Glenn answered with a smile. Sophia tore her look away from Daryl to beam at Glenn.

                “What? Like a letter?” She grinned. “I drew Andrea a picture of her and Amy. Said she’s gonna hanging it up on her tent! Are you gonna hang Daryl’s letter too?” Sophia was practically vibrating on her feet, causing Carl to laugh. However, Daryl looked seconds away from bolting and Glenn didn’t want that.

                “Of course I am.” At this, Daryl snapped his head up to look at Glenn, eyes widening and Glenn felt his heart skip another beat. _Just how much had this child missed out on?_

                “What?” Daryl finally asked.

                “Why shouldn’t I hang it up? I’m real proud of what you’ve done.” Glenn shrugged and Sophia clapped her hand.

                “Oh! Isn’t that great Daryl! Mommy always hangs up my drawings because she says they’re special and she always wants to see them!” Sophia laughed and Glenn couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. It was nice to see such innocence and happiness after everything they had been through. Daryl, meanwhile, was looking between Sophia and Glenn with such astounding wonder that it made Glenn’s throat tight. _He’s probably never had a drawing hung on the fridge before._

                “Yep. I want to see it every time I wake up.” Glenn admitted with a soft smile aimed for Daryl. The boy swallowed thickly, fiddling with the dirty vest around him before nodding silently. Noticing the boy’s discomfort Glenn decided to lead Carl and Sophia back to Lori. As the three began to walk away, Glenn couldn’t help but call over his shoulder.

                “And I’ll happily put up anymore letters or drawings in my tent from Daryl.”

 

* * *

 

                Daryl did not in fact give Glenn anymore drawings or writing. He did however, continue to show Glenn his improvement and soon enough Daryl was writing in complete sentences. He wasn’t fully at the level that Sophia and Carl were at and often became angry or discouraged at the fact, and would storm off before Glenn could stop him. Each time he returned without an apology, Glenn patiently reminded him that neither Sophia nor Carl caught catch even a single squirrel or fire a crossbow.         

                That seemed to do the trick.

                However, Glenn was more than a little nervous to face Daryl today. He, T-Dog, Morales and Andrea had just returned from a day long trip to Atlanta. Originally there had been five people on the trip out and there was still five people returning.

                Just, not the same five people.

                Instead of Merle, there was the new guy. The Sheriff Dumbass named Rick.

                Merle was back in Atlanta, high off his mind, and handcuffed to a pipe on a roof. Nobody was sad to have left the vulgar man behind. Some felt guilty though, about leaving him to a fate of Walkers. But Glenn was most worried about Daryl and his reaction.

                Daryl was just a kid and felt that Merle was all he had left in this new world. Despite his fear for Merle, Glenn knew that Daryl was loyal to his older brother and loved him with every inch of his little body.

                “What are we going to tell Daryl?” Glenn finally asked nervously, once the alarm on the (super cool and super nice) car that he had stolen was turned off and the others had returned. Apparently, the new sheriff’s family was Lori and Carl. There was a tearful reunion where even Rick and Shane had embraced. Glenn knew that the ordeal between Lori and Shane was bound to blow up in their faces but for now he kept quiet.  It wasn’t his story to tell.

                “Who is Daryl?” Rick asked with one hand still firmly on Carl’s shoulder as if he was afraid that Carl would disappear.

                “Mere’s brother.” T-Dog answered and Glenn watched Rick’s eyes widened. _Family._

                “He’ll be fine. I’m sure he would understand.” Lori tried to soothe gently and Glenn almost snorted out loud. Now she decided that Daryl was an okay kid?  
                “Daryl’s a _kid._ You think he’s going to handle us leaving his brother behind?” Glenn mumbled under his breath. Everyone caught wind of Glenn’s words and shared looks with one another. T-Dog and Andrea actually seemed to look guilty, upon realizing they probably just orphaned a little boy. _Good._ Glenn thought. _Not like they cared before._

                “A kid?” Rick blinked.

                “Yeah, but he’s practically grown up. Goes out and hunts for dinner and stuff.” Shane interrupted and this time, Glenn actually did roll his eyes.

                “He’s barely _nine-years-old._ ” Glenn informed Rick. “Can you imagine Carl’s reaction if we left Lori chained to the rooftop?”

                He noticed how Carl stiffened and Lori pulled him close. Glenn wanted to apologize but sometimes the truth needed to be said.

                “He’ll be fine. Daryl knows that Merle is a danger. I’m sure he’ll understand.” Andrea said softly, unable to look anyone in the eye as she said this. Even Amy looked uncomfortable and looked away.

                “Shit.” Glenn finally huffed, wiping sweat off the side of his face. “Fine, then someone tell me how you’re going to tell that little boy that we _left_ his brother – his only family – handcuffed to the roof.” Glenn may not have liked Merle and part of him was glad to hear that Merle had been left behind, but he couldn’t help but imagine the devastation in Daryl’s face.

                Daryl loved his brother.

                “Look, I’ll talk to him. It was my fault that Merle was handcuffed.” Rick finally sighed.

                “But I was the one that lost the key.” T-Dog admitted.

                As Glenn opened his mouth to speak, the group froze upon hearing the familiar groan and grotesque noises of a Walker. Instantly, Shane, Rick (surprisingly) and Glenn were the first into action. They ran across, weapons drawn upon seeing a Walker devouring the dead carcass of a buck. Once t smelt the group of humans the Walker turned around, mouth and face covered in blood, to look at them.

                It began to get up, only to have Rick smash a pipe against its chest and the Walker stumbled but didn’t go down. As it stumbled to its feet, everyone was shocked as it jerked and slumped backward, with the tip of an arrow protruding straight through the center of its skull. Glenn was the first to scan the forest behind him, while the others shouted in surprise and a relieved smile slipped on his face when he saw Daryl walking towards them, crossbow still aimed and eyes looking cold and calculating. It was such a hard look on the boy and not meant for someone his age.

                Finally, the others blinked in surprise at the young boy walking towards Glenn, eyeing the buck with disgust. He spat on the dead Walker and yanked the arrow out of its skull. Glenn winced, feeling his stomach lurch at the sickening sound.

                “Gotta be the brain. Don’t you people know nothin’?” Daryl growled, giving the buck one last look before lifting up the pile of rabbits in his hand. He began to stalk off towards camp and Glenn had a brief moment of glee when Rick and Shane both stared after the boy with jaws open.

                “Merle! Merle! Help me skin these things!” Then Glenn’s mood had dropped several degrees. In fact, the mood seemed to drop significantly around the entirety of the camp. Glenn was thankful that the others at least had the decency to look guilty, but still no one spoke up to inform the boy of his brother’s current circumstance.

                Daryl stopped, gripping the line of rabbit’s tightly when he looked around the camp and found no trace of Merle. His throat tightened while his chest squeezed. He couldn’t see Merle anywhere and he knew everyone was back.

                Glenn was back.

                “Merle?” Daryl frowned, slowly turning into a glare when anybody looked his way. His jaw clenched and he willingly stared down anyone that tried to look at him. Glenn was shifting from one foot to another when no one bothered to even speak up. _He deserved to know._

                “Look, Daryl, there was an issue back in Atlanta with Merle.” Glenn finally began with a heavy sigh. Thankfully, Daryl’s glare softened a bit upon seeing Glenn, but even Glenn could tell the boy was still heavily guarding his emotion. It was something that was common with Daryl.

                “Is he dead?” Daryl asked bluntly, causing several members of their group to flinch. Glenn barely resisted the urge to flinch because that was exactly what Daryl wanted. The kid wasn’t dumb and he knew what made people squirm.

                “Well, not really son.” Rick finally stepped in, surprising Glenn and Daryl. Glenn watched when Daryl backed up away from the newcomer, body tense and ready to fight. He saw Rick notice Daryl’s body language and instantly put up both his hands. Hopefully being a cop taught Rick how to act around a kid like Daryl.

                “Who’re you?” Daryl eyed Rick suspiciously and Rick slowly moved towards him.

                “My name’s Rick Grimes. I came from Atlanta.”

                “Rick Grimes? What do y’mean? Either he’s dead or he ain’t?” Daryl spat. Rick’s eyes widened for a split second before he was maneuvering towards Daryl. Once more, Daryl hesitantly stepped back.

                “I’m sorry, but your brother was a danger to us all. I handcuffed him to a roof hooked to a piece of metal, to keep him from attracting too much noise. He’s still there.” Rick explained, all the while Daryl’s expression was becoming angrier and angrier by the second. Glenn hated Merle but he hated more that Daryl was hurting and no one else seemed to be realizing this. “I hadn’t realized he was still up on the roof until we were already driving out.”

                Daryl’s face was a conflicting picture of anger, sadness and relief. However, most of the group seemed to focus in on the anger that was projecting from Daryl as he paced the campsite like a wild animal.

                In all honesty, Daryl wasn’t quite sure about how to feel in this moment. Merle was frightening and definitely an annoyance to this group, even Daryl could see that at his age. However, his undying loyalty to his brother – his _only_ family – was wavering. Part of Daryl was relieved that Merle wouldn’t be back, ready to beat him in their tent and part of him was aching at the idea of his brother alone, locked up like an animal on the roof in Atlanta.

                “Lemme get this straight,” Daryl spat, face red with anger. His pacing increased and his movements were becoming tick like. Glenn, once again, was the only one that recognized unshed tears building in Daryl’s eyes. Apparently he was the only one who was remembering that Daryl was a _little kid_ who had just lost their brother. “You meant to tell me that your dumbass-self, handcuffed my brother to a roof and _left_ him there?! You couldn’t use your key?”

                “I had the key” T-Dog finally spoke up and Daryl whipped his furious gaze over to him. “But I dropped it.”

                “And you couldn’t pick it up?” Daryl growled. He was just seconds away from strangling _someone_ in this group. To doing some kind of damage so that these people would _hurt_ just like he was right now.

                “I dropped it down a drain.” T-Dog winced at Daryl’s feral growl. “But before we left, I chained the door to the stairwell shut. There’s no way Walkers can get through that chain and only about twelve of them can fit into that stairwell.”

                “That has to count for something, right?” Rick latched onto T-Dog’s comment with hope, hoping that the boy would see the bright side to all this. However, it seemed that nothing was comforting the young kid and Rick couldn’t actually blame him right now. He was too young to understand everything that was going on right now.

                Too young to be in this new world.

                “That don’t count for nothing!” Daryl shouted and in the next second Rick was ducking as the pile of rabbits was thrown in his direction. Then he felt the force on a tiny, but powerful, body slamming into his own. Rick grunted but easily kept himself upright as Daryl shoved at him.

                “Hey now quit that.” Rick grunted and the others began shouting at the chaos. Rick accidentally pushed the boy over, watching as Daryl fell to the floor. It was then that Rick began to notice that all the shouting was directed at _Daryl_ instead of him, and everyone’s worry was for him instead of this boy, and Rick was confused.

                Even Lori and Carl were shouting for Daryl to quit fighting. Shane and T-Dog were heading towards Daryl on the ground, ready to help _Rick._ Rick didn’t understand this.

                He was an adult. Daryl was just a boy.

                _Why weren’t they helping him?_

                Rick felt a hand grab his wrist and he turned around to see Glenn was yanking him away from Daryl, with wide eyes.

                “Watch the knife!” T-Dog suddenly shouted and Rick barely turned around to find Daryl coming at him with a small hunting knife, before he was yanked harshly into a headlock by Shane without even a second glance. Rick’s eyes widened and he was stunned when Glenn suddenly let his arm go, to shove Rick out of his way. In Shane’s arms, Daryl was slowly lowering to the ground, still kicking and struggling but the knife was forgotten on the floor.

                Shane had a child in a choke-hold.

                A child.

                In a choke-hold.

                “You best let me go!” Daryl snarled, despite the fact that his face was turning redder than a tomato. Still, Shane didn’t let go and the shouting continued.

                “I think it’s better if I don’t.” Was all Shane said.

                “Let him go, what the fuck Shane?” Glenn shouted, already at Daryl’s side. Rick blinked.

                “Choke-holdin’s illegal.” Daryl murmured; voice a lot weaker and body a lot more limp.

                “Yeah, well you can file a complaint.” Shane sighed.

                “Seriously, let him go!” Glenn hissed.

                Rick decided it was better to intervene then before Daryl passed out and before Glenn decided to try and take down the ex-cop too. Still it was a wonder to see that only Glenn had stepped up to Daryl’s aid and that Shane was quick to grab Daryl, when even Rick wouldn’t have grabbed him. Knife or no knife.

                “Now, I want to have a calm discussion on this topic, do you think we can manage that?” Rick knelt in front of Daryl, who turned weakly in his direction. Rick was surprised to still see some anger and defiance in Daryl’s eyes but he was much calmer than before. Eventually Daryl weakly nodded and Rick nodded firmly at Shane to let go.

                It took Shane a second too long to let go but eventually he did and Daryl scrambled away. Glenn was the only one to stay beside Daryl when he got to his feet. Daryl eyed Rick warily but Rick couldn’t help but notice how Daryl’s eyes switched between him and Shane and the others often. The boy didn’t seem to mind Glenn’s prescience beside him but every now and again his fingers twitched at the sheath on his belt where his knife was supposed to be.

                “Just tell me where he’s at.” Glenn didn’t miss the way that Daryl’s voice cracked and it seemed that Rick didn’t too. Glenn warily watched Rick, unsure of what the man’s motives were. It could be possible that Rick would be on Daryl’s side considering he had Carl. Though, Glenn had figured that about Lori too and look where that got him.

                “Why?” Glenn asked quietly and Daryl glared back at him. Despite his anger, Glenn could see the beginnings of tears building up in his eyes, which Daryl tried to hastily hide. It was yet another reminder of just how _young_ Daryl was.

                Everyone seemed to forget that.

                “So I can go get him.” Daryl bit back sadly. Glenn’s heart broke at the sight of Daryl, while the others sighed around them. Glenn was sure most of them were annoyed or couldn’t understand why Daryl wanted to save that bastard. No one would understand.

                “You ain’t going anywhere.” Shane stated firmly, hands on his hip. Glenn sent a scolding glare his direction, which Shane easily ignored. Rick couldn’t help but eye his partner.

                “The Hell I ain’t!” Daryl argued and he balled up his hands into fists at his side.

                “Look, Daryl, I think Shane’s coming from a somewhat logical standpoint. There’s no way that anyone wants you to go into Atlanta _alone._ We just got back from there and it’s too dangerous.” Rick attempted to comfort the boy but Daryl wasn’t having any of it. Right now he was too upset and far too scared to think logically.

                “I’ll be fine by myself!” Daryl hissed.

                “Daryl, Atlanta is too crowded with Walkers. There’s no way you’d survive on your own.” Glenn whispered tiredly.

                “But you’d leave Merle?!” Daryl spat and this time Glenn did flinch. For a moment, Glenn saw a second of remorse directed to him and even a hint of guilt, but it was quickly covered up by his annoyance. Glenn didn’t know how to respond.

                “I’ll go.” There is an eerie silence after Rick has spoken up. Shane is looking at Rick as if he were only seconds away from strangling his best friend. Lori was horrified and Carl had tears in his eyes. T-Dog, Andrea and the others were confused and even Glenn couldn’t figure out what Rick was playing at. Daryl was still guarded and eyed Rick warily.

                “It was my fault. I cuffed him there, so I’ll go back to get him.” At this, Daryl’s gaze softened and his mouth dropped open. He didn’t understand why the old cop wanted to do this for him. _Was it because he felt guilty?_

“Rick, you just got back. _We_ just got you back and now you want to go back into Atlanta? After barely making it out alive?” Of course Lori was the voice of reason for Rick, mostly worried for his safety and theirs. Daryl was sure that she probably meant well, but right now he couldn’t give two _fucks_ about how anyone besides him felt about the situation.

                “It’s my fault that Merle was chained up there. I can’t just leave him there. That’s wrong Lori.” Rick sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand across his face. Carl frowned at his dad, obviously upset with the idea of his dad leaving so soon, but chose to keep quiet.

                Daryl had begun pacing away from the group, unsure of how to respond to Rick. The man was offering to go back for _his_ brother but on the condition that Daryl stayed back. Daryl wanted to be the one to bring Merle back.

                “Look, we can’t avoid having any of us running out there for a dead man asshole.” Shane hissed quietly, not worrying about the volume at which he spoke. He ignored the icy glare from Daryl. “We need as many people together as we can to protect this camp. You saw that Walker earlier, they ain’t been down here before. They’re coming from the city.”

                “There’s no one in Atlanta. No food. They’re going to be traveling downwards.” T-Dog said quietly and everyone winced. Glenn was sure they all probably were hoping that their camp would be safe for as long as possible.

                “Still, we can’t leave Merle chained like a dog in Atlanta if he’s still alive.” Rick continued.

                Shane snorted. “And if he’s not?” He missed the way that Daryl’s body went rigid at the idea and Glenn swallowed thickly. “Then you might die for _nothing.”_

                “We have to try Shane. It’s only fair.” Rick murmured, hoping to get his best friend on his side. He knew it was risky and it was probably a lost cause but looking at Daryl, so small and so alone, Rick knew he couldn’t just give up without trying. The boy was younger than Carl and he may just have lost the last remaining family he had.

                “Well you can’t go alone.” Lori argued weakly. Glenn decided to speak up before Daryl even had the chance to open his mouth.

                “I’ll go with him.” Upon receiving strange looks from everyone else (after all Merle treated Glenn worse than anyone here, especially after forming a friendship with Daryl) he shrugged. “I know the city better than anyone else. I can get us in and out quickly.”

                “I’m coming too.” T-Dog added. Daryl mouth twitched for a second. “It’s my fault too so I want to help.” At this Rick nodded, leaving no room for argument. Shane and Lori both sighed angrily.

                “All right. It’s settled. The three of us will head out in an hour. While there is still plenty of day light.” Rick announced, grabbing a hold of Carl’s shoulders. Then just like that, the meeting was over and everyone was going their separate ways. Andrea had dragged Amy towards Dale and the RV, while Lori grabbed Rick and Carl (most likely to yell at Rick some more). Shane ran a hand through his hair and eventually wandered off to wherever Jimmy was. T-Dog left with the others towards their cars and all there was left was Glenn and Daryl.

                Daryl awkwardly stared at the dirt, kicking up rocks with dirty boots. Glenn swallowed, shifting on his feet, unsure of how to comfort Daryl right now. He knew that Daryl wanted to go with them in order to save his brother, but just the thought of Daryl surrounded by those Walkers in Atlanta made his heart freeze over. He couldn’t bear to imagine Daryl being torn to shreds by bloodthirsty monsters that were once human.

                Eventually, Glenn pressed one hand against Daryl’s shoulder, waiting until Daryl finally looked up at him before nodding. “We’ll do our best to bring him back. I promise.”

                Daryl didn’t say anything but it was all that Glenn could ask for, for Daryl to stay put.

 

* * *

 

                The day was just getting shittier and shittier by the minute.

                Glenn hated it.

                He wanted nothing more than to curl up in the sleeping bag in his tent and never ever wake up again. He’d be content to just sleep this apocalypse away. However, sleep wasn’t a priority right now. Not when there were at least a dozen Walkers invading their camp – their _safe_ camp.

                Merle wasn’t in Atlanta, at least not all of him. All that was left on the rooftop in Atlanta was a pool of blood, a severed hand and a couple dead Roamers. There wasn’t a trace of Merle anywhere. Then they had nearly been kidnapped by a group of men housing a bunch of elderly folks when trying to grab the bag of guns that Sheriff Dumbass left behind.

                At least they’d been able to bring back the guns.

                Glenn knew everyone would be more relieved about that than Merle. Except Daryl.

                Just the thought of Daryl made Glenn’s stomach twist painfully, but he didn’t have any time to worry about the kid when he was up against at least three Walkers that were in their camp. All around him, people were screaming and crying. Walkers were biting into the flesh of people and tearing into their bodies. Others were doing their best to kill the remaining Walkers.

                Glenn winced, feeling sick when he smashed the skull of a female Walker whose bottom jaw was barely hanging on, with a machete he found in Atlanta.  Amy and several others had already been attacked and it was still dark out, meaning Glenn had no idea who exactly was dead and who was still fighting. _He didn’t know if Daryl was okay._

                As the morning light peaked over the hills and the last of the Walkers were killed by the men of the group, Glenn wiped his mouth with the back of his hand when he gagged at the sight of decaying Walkers. He could see Shane and Rock pacing around, checking for anymore Walkers that could be roaming around. Lori and Carol were huddled up, Carol crying over a body that had belonged to Ed (Glenn was glad he was dead and he was sure everyone else was too). He looked around and could see the fresh bodies of at least half their camp, lying on the ground. One of which was Andrea’s younger sister, Amy.

                Glenn could feel his heart racing when he looked from one body to another. Searching. He hadn’t found Daryl anywhere and it made his throat feel like ice.

                Just as Glenn spun around to yell out for the child, Glenn was frozen in place. Behind Glenn stood Daryl. His face was covered in blood and so was the front of his shirt and his body was beginning to tremble. However, in Daryl’s hand covered in blood was an old pick axe. Glenn could see bots of rotten flesh still sticking to the point of the axe. Daryl’s eyes were wide and his skin was whiter than snow.

                No one else seemed to notice the trembling boy near Glenn and it made Glenn’s heart break.

                “Daryl?” Glenn whispered slowly as he cautiously made his way towards Daryl. He was careful to make sure his arms were raised and that he didn’t rush to Daryl. Daryl’s trembling only increased.

                _He’s just a kid._

                “Hey, Daryl. It’s okay. They’re all dead.” Glenn continued softly. He ignored the shouts of anger coming from Rick and Shane who were both no doubt shouting in an argument. When Daryl didn’t even so much as look his way, Glenn crept closer. His heart was pounding in his ribcage and his throat was quickly drying.

                _He’s only a kid._

                Carefully, Glenn reached out to grab the bloody pick axe from Daryl’s hands. He was shocked when Daryl didn’t even put up a fight and Glenn could easily take the ax out of limp hands. The shock in Daryl must have been worse than even Daryl could imagine.

                _He’s just a little kid._

                “Hey, Daryl. It’s okay. It’s okay.” _How did no one notice that he was fighting?_ Glenn dropped the ax on the ground before he knelt down so that he was in front of Daryl and unconsciously he put both of his hands on Daryl’s face. The kid felt clammy and looked far too pale to be healthy. _Why did anyone let him pick up that axe?_

                “It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe.” Glenn continued quietly, stroking his fingers under Daryl’s eyes when they began to fill with tears. _He was only a little boy._ Glenn didn’t even know how Merle reacted to Daryl when the dead started walking, but he couldn’t quite imagine Merle soothing Daryl as calmly and quietly as Glenn was. Would have been too sissy of a thing to do.

                Even for your own little brother.

                Eventually Daryl turned his frightened gaze to Glenn as if suddenly noticing the man’s presence. It made Glenn’s heart lurch into his throat and before Daryl could even protest, Glenn had scooped the boy into his arms in a hug. Daryl was frozen in his arms for a few seconds while Glenn practically squeezed the life out of him.

                However, Glenn was relieved when Daryl wrapped shaking arms around Glenn’s neck and soon enough buried his face into Glenn’s neck. It broke Glenn’s heart to feel Daryl trembling with sobs but without making a _single_ noise. It was as if Daryl were too afraid to cry out loud.

                “It’s okay. We’re okay. We’re okay.” Glenn didn’t know how else to comfort the boy and couldn’t bring himself to say that everything would be okay. _Because what if it wasn’t?_ Daryl’s trembling didn’t stop and soon enough a small wet patch was growing on the neck of Glenn’s shirt, but he could care less. He’d let Daryl cry for weeks if the boy needed to. He hadn’t seen Daryl cry _once_ the entire time he was here, even when his foot got “stuck” in one of their snares a few weeks ago.

                Glenn picked the boy up, wincing at how light he was for his age and put a hand under Daryl to steady him. He heard the commotion behind them beginning to die down as the children’s cries quietened and the shouting stopped. As Glenn made his way towards the RV, the others eventually turned their attention to Glenn and stared.

                Shane and Rick both gaped at the sight of Daryl in his arms but Glenn ignored them, resisting the urge to yell at anyone. He ignored the way that Lori and Carol both pulled their own children closer to them in a protective manner. He ignored T-Dog calling after him and when Dale tried to put a hand on his shoulder. He ignored them all to storm inside Dale’s RV and letting the door slam behind him.

                He only regretted slamming the door when Daryl flinched in his arms. Quickly Glenn rubbed Daryl’s back before setting down on one of the benches. He didn’t know how long he sat there with Daryl curled into his arm, face buried in his neck, but he could hear the quiet sounds of people talking outside the RV and people beginning to clean up the campsite.

                Eventually Glenn felt Daryl’s shaking stop and his breathing evening out. Daryl’s body became limp in Glenn’s arms with a loose grip around Glenn’s neck. Once he checked to make sure that Daryl was sleeping, he tucked the boy under a blanket into the bench. He began to methodically wipe at Daryl’s face to erase all traces of blood from his skin, with a towel and some water. When Daryl was clean and his hair was sticking up from the water, Glenn finally stood up

                Taking one last look at the exhausted (emotionally, mentally and physically) boy, Glenn stepped out of the RV to see the sun fully up and everyone already working to burn the bodies of Walkers. He and Daryl must have been inside the RV longer than he had thought because the group was almost done. Once Glenn stepped out of the RV, everyone looked right at him and Glenn scowled.

                “What?”

                “What was that all about?” Rick was the politest out of the group and was the best one to talk to right. He was probably the only person that Glenn wasn’t furious with actually.

                “Anyone wanna tell me why no one was watching a nine-year-old and he just went through the trauma of _murdering_ Walkers all on his own?” Glenn crossed his arms over his chest, watching when suddenly everyone else found an interest in _something_ else. How convenient.

                “Wait, Daryl? He was by himself? Wasn’t he with Lori and Carl and Sophia?” Rick frowned in confusion before turning to look at his wife who was refusing to meet his gaze. She had busied herself with checking Carl for any new injuries.

                “I don’t know. Lori?” Glenn asked, resisting the urge to growl at the woman. Finally, Lori looked away from Carl when she could no longer stall and still refused to look in Glenn’s direction.

                “I ah, didn’t have him with me. I thought he was with someone else.” Lori admitted and Rick swallowed thickly.

                “Yeah. Well he wasn’t. He was by himself. Probably could have been bitten and killed and no one would have noticed.” This time Glenn didn’t even bother to hide the venom in his voice. When everyone flinched at his one, he was momentarily happy. Let them hurt like Daryl did. “Of course he found a weapon and had to fight off Walkers not only bigger than him and stronger, but also having had to _kill_ them when Carl and Sophia didn’t even lift up a weapon.”

                “Glenn, it was an honest mistake. Everyone panicked at the Walkers.” Morales sighed tiredly and scrubbed at his face. Glenn snorted.

                “But I see Sophia and Carl were perfectly alright with Lori and Carol despite the panic.” Glenn stated.

                “It ain’t our fault that kid doesn’t know to stay close to the group.” Shane muttered under his breath and Glenn finally snapped. He stormed right up to Shane, eyes brimming with unshed tears and anger.

                “Because you treat him like an outsider!” Glenn spat, practically face to face with Shane. Lori attempted to intervene but was thankfully stopped by Rick. Glenn was actually starting to like the guy more and more now.

                “All of you!” Glenn spun away from Shane to glare at the last living members of their camp sight. “You took one look at Merle, at his “kind,” and you’ve decided that Daryl is no better. You treat him just like his brother – like a criminal! _He’s nine!_ A goddamn kid and none of you are taking responsibility as adults here; no wonder he never wants to be around anyone. No one wants to sit with him; no one thanks him for getting _dinner_. Nobody makes sure he is still alive and breathing, even after a Walker attack where half our group died!” Glenn could feel his throat beginning to tightened and he was ashamed to admit that he was about to start crying at any second. “We are supposed to  take care of our own.”

                Upon hearing the door to the RV opening, Glenn stopped yelling by taking in a huge gulp of air. He looked back to see Daryl hiding behind the door, eyes dull and locked on Glenn. His shirt and pants were still stained with blood but at least there was some color back in Daryl’s cheeks.

                “Glenn…” Rick held out a hand in apology towards Glenn but it was shrugged off immediately.

                “I’m not the one any of you should be apologizing to.” With that, Glenn stomped to Daryl and led the kid over to his tent.

                He could only hope that his words would change everyone’s attitude. They would have to change if they were all going to survive now.

 

* * *

 

                Apparently Glenn’s words only inspired three people.

                Rick, Dale (surprising to Glenn) and Carol.

                Everyone simply acted as if nothing had happened. Andrea didn’t care about anyone or anything after Amy’s death and was on the verge of killing himself. Glenn, of course, was worried for her safety because Andrea had actually become a good friend to him since coming here. Amy too. Thinking about the younger sister made Glenn’s heart hurt and he swallowed painfully. Shane and Lori were too busy with the kids and Rick to deal with Glenn and T-Dog was just silent.

                The plan was to head to the CDC and Glenn, for once, felt that this might be their best choice yet. He had heard stories about a cure being created at the CDC months ago and he hoped that these stories were the truth. Rick kept going on and on about a Safe Haven and Glenn desperately prayed for one too.

                After Glenn had packed all of his stuff up, realizing that he didn’t have a car to drive, he noticed that Daryl was packed up. Tent gone and bags ready to go, all loaded by his brother’s motorcycle. Glenn was surprised that all Daryl had on his back was a large bag that held his tent and his crossbow. Everything else seemed to have been stored in small compartments at the side of the bike.

                Glenn walked over to Daryl and noticed that his shirt and pants were changed and he smiled. “Hey bud, you ready to go?”

                Daryl looked up with a frown but eventually a soft smile slipped onto his lips when he saw that it was Glenn talking to him. He nodded silently before playing with a loose thread on the holes in his jeans. _He was going to need new clothes before winter._

                “Ain’t got nowhere to go, though.” Daryl shrugged without looking up at Glenn. Glenn blinked.

                “You’re coming with us.” Glenn stated rather than asked but Daryl merely shrugged.

                “Can’t drive and s’not like nobody asked me to go in their cars.” Glenn could feel his blood beginning to boil but he calmly counted backwards in his mind. It would do no good to explode right now.

                “Well you _are_ coming with us. You’re one of us now. You’ll ride with me.” Glenn didn’t miss the way that Daryl’s eyes lit up at this.

                “But you don’t got a car either.” Daryl pointed out, causing Glenn to sigh. However, his eyes landed on the bike in front of them and an idea popped into mind.

                “Well, what about Merle’s bike? I could ride it and then it’d just be me and you. And you wouldn’t have to leave it behind.” Glenn suggested as Daryl stared at the ground uncomfortably. He continued to pick at the threads on his clothes.

                “You can ride?”

                “I used to ride a scooter delivering pizzas. How different can it be?” Glenn shrugged. He grinned when Daryl huffed a laugh at him.

                “You delivered pizza?”

                “Yep. Almost every day. It’s how I know every shortcut in Atlanta.” Glenn winked with a grin and Daryl rolled his eyes. “So, how about it? Are you going to let me drive the bike?”

                Daryl hesitated, chewing his bottom lip between his teeth before he dug out a spare key from his pocket. Eventually he handed the key over to Glenn, who was ashamed to admit that he was far more gleeful about driving a motorcycle than he should be. He practically hoped onto the bike and bounced when it started up smoothly. Daryl rolled his eyes but climbed on after Glenn.

                “Arms around my waist and don’t you even think about letting go.” Glenn instructed over the roar of the engine. He could hear Daryl mumbling incoherently under his breath but elected to ignore it due to his excitement at the moment. Soon enough, Glenn could feel small arms snaking around his waist and a face pressed against his back.

                It took a few tries where Glenn nearly rode them into a ditch or jerked the engine, but eventually he had the hang of it and smoothly rode to the front of the camp where the others were all waiting by their cars. Glenn stopped beside where Rick and Shane were talking to Morales and his family. Rick grinned in slight amusement when Daryl and Glenn rode up beside them.

                “Got yourself a new ride?” He asked with a laugh and Glenn snickered.

                “Hell yeah.”

                “Is that even practical? You’re going to attract Walkers with that noise.” Lori piped up.

                “Not any louder than that rusty old RV.” Glenn shrugged, too excited to let anyone ruin his mood. “Plus it’s better gas mileage than any of your vehicles and I can go into tight spots if we need to.” Glenn felt Daryl grin against him when he left no room for argument.

                Shane rolled his eyes but Rick waved them off with a grin. “You know how to get to the CDC?”

                “Of course.” Glenn looked offending, causing everyone to snicker. “Just try to keep up, alright?” With that, Glenn kicked the engine to life and rode down the dirt path and onto the main road. With the wind whipping in his face and the warm sun beating down his face, Glenn couldn’t help but laugh. The feeling was just as exhilarating as when he stole that nice mustang in Atlanta, if not even more exhilarating.

                Behind him, Glenn could feel Daryl beginning to laugh too by the shaking of his shoulders. When Glenn heard the first sounds of Daryl’s laughter (small but beautiful) he grinned and forced the bike to travel even faster.

                Maybe they would be alright after all.

                It didn’t take long for the others to catch up to Glenn and Daryl. Glenn was saddened to notice that Morales and his family hadn’t joined them, no doubt choosing to head another way. He couldn’t reprimand them for wanting to go their own way and as long as they were together, and then that was all that mattered. Jimmy had opted to go with them, to help out in case any Walkers were after them and Glenn respected the man’s courage.

                Daryl and Glenn didn’t say much to each other as they rode to the CDC, but it wasn’t like they could hold much of a conversation over the noise of the wind and the engine of the motorcycle. Daryl had eventually sat back in his seat, but still kept a tight grip on Glenn, in order to look at the scenery around them. Glenn would almost say that Georgia was peaceful and beautiful, if it weren’t for all the abandoned cars, dead bodies and guts everywhere and potentially threats of Walkers.

                Otherwise, it really was beautiful.

                Glenn just hoped the same could be said about the CDC.

 

* * *

 

                Daryl didn’t like Dr. Jenner, but everyone else seemed to and he did fed them and give them a real beds. And hot water. Showers were the first thing that everyone relished in after arriving in the CDC, even before dinner.

                Daryl was startled when Glenn showed him to an empty room with a bathroom, before telling him that he would be right next door and running off to take a shower. Digging around the room, Daryl was surprised to find the drawers stocked with clothes, mainly white t-shirts and cargo pants but there was even a set of pajamas in them. Of course they were far too big on Daryl but with a quick slice of his knife to the sleeves of the shirts and the length of the pants, and Daryl had a set of pajamas.

                Standing under the spray of hot water was an experience for Daryl and he was ashamed to admit he’d nearly started crying. He never told anyone before, but the last time he had a _hot_ shower was a month _before_ the dead started Walking.

                Daryl scrubbed himself clean quickly with the generic soap in the shower before he simply stood under the hot water for as long as he could. For a little while he felt a bit of bliss and peace – something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

                Glenn couldn’t stop grinning after his shower with a fresh set of clothes on and an extra fluffy towel around his neck. The shower had been the best feeling in the world for Glenn and really hit the spot. On top of it, he had a bed to sleep in and there was a feast waiting for them, and everyone was safe.

                That was what got Glenn the most. They were finally safe.

                Glenn entered Daryl’s room, hearing Lori and the others walking down the hall behind him. He was surprised to hear the shower still going and could see steam coming from the cracked door of the bathroom. Behind him, Glenn heard someone muttering about Daryl wasting water but he chose to ignore it.

                Carefully he knocked on the bathroom door and peaked in. After a few seconds a familiar but wet head poked out of the shower stall and Glenn grinned.

                “I know these showers are the shit, but we’re about to head down to feast. Jenner says we’re going to feast tonight.” Glenn said gleefully and Daryl carefully nodded. Shutting off the water he reached over for a towel and Glenn ducked his head out of the room to give the boy privacy. He looked around the empty room, noticing that all of Daryl’s things were still packed and tucked in a corner of the room with his filthy clothes piled on top.

                “Ready?” Glenn jumped a foot in the air when Daryl appeared at his side. Daryl watched in amusement when he bent over with a hand on his knees.

                “Jesus, don’t do that kid.” Glenn huffed and swatted at Daryl’s hair. The boy easily ducked away from Glenn’s hand and he smirked. As the two made their way out of Daryl’s room and down the hall, Glenn couldn’t help but snicker causing Daryl to roll his eyes.

                “What’s yer problem?”

                “Nice pajamas.” Glenn gestured to the t-shirt that almost went to Daryl’s knees without sleeves and the pajama pants that were tied as tight as they could and ripped at the knees to fit Daryl’s legs.

                “Yours too.” Glenn’s own pajama pants were too short for him and stopped well above his ankles.

                “Thanks. They’re designer.” Glenn replied and Daryl scoffed with a shake of his head.

                Dinner was quite an affair, especially once Daryl had found the bottles of wine. Glenn was the first to tut at the kid and yanked the bottle out of his hand. The mean glare that Daryl sent his way did nothing to sway Glenn as he poured everyone but the kids a glass. Though he relented when Rick and Lori allowed Carl a small taste, and poured a small bit in Daryl’s glass. When no one else was watching Daryl gulped it all down, unlike Carl who hated the taste.

                “Sometimes all we had was beer instead of water in the house.” Daryl simply shrugged when Glenn stared at him. Glenn’s heart twisted painfully and immediately he looked away. Thankfully, Daryl didn’t ask for anymore and opted for a glass of apple choice.

                “Ain’t never had it before?” He had frowned when Glenn passed him a juice box. Of course, Glenn’s eyes widened and he dramatically held a hand over his heart before forcing Daryl to try it.

                “Not so bad.” Daryl admitted and twiddled the straw between his teeth. For a moment, Daryl looked like any other kid, cradling an Apple Juice box in his hands, with big pajamas on and hair brushed back. For the first time Daryl was starting to actually look his age.

                Every now and again, Glenn saw Carol leaning over to make sure that Daryl ate all of his food, even though Daryl ate more than Carl and Sophia. Both were hesitant to eat their peas and Glenn couldn’t blame them. Even in the apocalypse peas still tasted foul, but when food was short they were not about to waste even a single bite. Shane had been quiet and moody throughout dinner, and Jenner was quiet but Rick was keeping an eye on both, so Glenn didn’t worry too much.

                After dinner, everyone was surprised when Sophia had grabbed Daryl’s wrist and Carl and dragged them towards a room of books. Glenn and Rick winced when Daryl flinched at the touch, immediately trying to get away but stopped when Sophia sat down on a couch with an old picture book in hand. She pulled Daryl up to sit next to her, smiling the whole time, as Carl took the seat beside Sophia’s other side. Daryl was appreciative that he wasn’t in the middle and though his heart was still racing, he couldn’t help but curiously watch the other kids.

                “C’mon. Let’s read a story before bed!” Sophia bounced excitedly and Carl grinned. Daryl cocked his head in confusion.

                “Dad, can you read this to us?” Carl called over his shoulder to Rick who had quietly been talking to Shane. In a second, he was out of his chair and taking a seat in front of the three kids. He eyed the book in Sophia’s hand – something about a train that could – and smiled.

                “Alright. Make sure y’all get comfy.” Rick said. Carl and Sophia snuggled up next to each other while Daryl remained where he was. Around them, the other adults found places to sit in the room to chat quietly or rest for a moment. When everyone was settled, Rick opened the first page and began to read.

                At first Daryl was too distracted to listen. He was unsure of how to act or what to do in this instant. After all, his daddy and Merle had _both_ told him that stories were for weak babies. But Sophia and Carl looked excited and happy and they didn’t seem like weak babies. Looking around the room, Daryl was relieved to see that Glenn had taken a seat in a chair near him. With an encouraging nod from Glenn and that same old stupid smile, Daryl turned his attention back to Rick.

                He had fun that night.

                The story made no sense, with a talking train and all, but Daryl enjoyed all the funny voices that Rick could make for each character.

                He enjoyed that Rick would let him see all the pictures and pointed out each character when Daryl got confused.

                Rick didn’t get mad when Daryl got confused. He didn’t yell or hit or spit at him. He didn’t call Daryl names or scream at him.

                He laughed when Glenn would act out parts of the story with the help of T-Dog and Dale.

                For a moment Daryl felt safe and warm. And for the first time ever, he didn’t feel afraid.

 

* * *

 

                Of course it wouldn’t last.

                _It never does baby brother._

                After Jenner explained the situation of Walkers (to which Daryl vaguely understood: they were dead and then their body wasn’t, but their brain still was), Rick had asked about the big countdown. Then Jenner explained that everyone was going to die and everyone panicked.

                At first, Daryl had been furious. This man had lied to them. Had said to protect them and was going to kill them without their say. He screamed and kicked and grabbed the first weapon he could to smash it against a locked door. He knew he must look like a child throwing a temper tantrum, but Daryl was scared.

                And angry.

                _How could he do this to us? How is he allowed to do this?_

                Daryl’s mama always believed in God and used to tell Daryl that he had a plan for everyone and everything on this planet and sometimes it was hard but eventually it would be okay. Daryl loved his mama and believed her, even after she died. So, staring down this man, who was ready to kill them all before their time, Daryl snarled.

                _Who was he to play God?_

                When the doors suddenly opened, Daryl almost believed that it was his sheer strength and determination that had opened them. But one looked back and he saw Jenner holding his car against a key reader.

                “Let’s go! Let’s go!” Glenn shouted bags already in hand. He and the others were racing out of the room, scrambling to escape before the timer reached 0. Daryl was right behind Glenn and hadn’t even realized that he had reached out for Glenn’s hand, until there was a warm hand wrapped around his own. Together the two sprinted towards the entrance, fingers locked and hearts racing.

                While Rick and Shane were screaming to break the windows and everyone was scrambling to shoot the glass or smash it, Daryl swallowed thickly and clutched his brother’s crossbow tightly to his chest.

_He didn’t want it to end like this._

                “Glenn, I don’t wanna die.” Daryl whispered, almost unheard over the sounds of crying, screaming and smashing. Glenn paused in his movement to shoot at another window piece, eyes wild with emotion and face pale. He stared down at Daryl as his face morphed into a pained look and Daryl cursed at being the reason for Glenn’s pain.

                “We’re not going to die. You are going to live, Daryl.”

                “I never thanked ya.” Daryl ignored the comment, feeling his breath coming out panicky and whispy. Glenn frowned, leaning down to grab a hold of Daryl’s shoulder. “For bein’ so nice to me. And always protecting me. Even with Merle.”

                “Daryl, there’s no need to thank me for that.” Glenn said.

                Daryl only shook his head numbly. “Ya didn’t have to. Could’a turned away and pretended nothing was wrong, like everyone else. But ya didn’t.” Glenn could see that this was hard for Daryl to talk about and not something that he was probably used to.

                “Well, I’m known to be pretty stubborn.” Glenn joked, relieved when he caught a tiny smile on Daryl’s face.

                “Stubborn bastard.” Daryl muttered and smiled at the sputter from Glenn. “I’m glad I got to meet ya, but I don’t wanna die. Not now.”   

                And goddamn, if Daryl’s eyes didn’t look so broken. Big blue eyes, staring up at Glenn with tears pooling in them, filled with so much defeat, anger and pain.

                “Me too. I’m glad you’re here buddy.” Glenn barely choked out and wanted nothing more than to wrap the boy in one last hug and hold him until all his pain went away. As Glenn reached out to hug Daryl, they were stopped when Rick suddenly shouted something about a Grenade.

                Everyone ducked for cover and an explosion rocked the room and shattered the glass.

                Then Daryl and Glenn were running.


	2. You've Gotten Inside my Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess whose back with more little Daryl and Glenn! So due, to comments and popular demand I've decided to continue with this fic and keep going! Seems like little Daryl has stolen everyone's heart, especially Glenns! This chapter follows the beginning of the story 2 arch at the Greene farm and introduces Maggie, Hershel, Beth and family. There's also a more emotional response to Daryl and his bonding starts to grow within the group, and Glenn begins to realize just how much this little redneck of a boy means to him. Da'awww. This fic is marked compelte but actually isn't. I just don't know how long it'll be until it's all done!
> 
> Hopefully you enjoy!

               Daryl couldn’t remember a time when he felt _safe._

               It was probably before mama died in the house fire, when he was only three, but he couldn’t remember any of that time. Everything was a blur up until the first time that his father beat him or his brother locked him outside the house all night when he was six. He didn’t know what it was like to not always be on edge and watching his back. Even when it was just him and Merle. Sure, life was better with their father dead but it wasn’t good. Not at all.

               Even if Daryl loved Merle, he knew that Merle wasn’t good.

               Daryl wondered if Merle was always like this or if he changed after Daryl was born. Or maybe after mama’s death? However, that all changed when Daryl met Glenn.

               When the dead started walking and when Merle and Daryl were fighting to survive. Then Daryl met Glenn. At first, Daryl had been cautious and shoved off any concern that Glenn gave him, knowing that was what people did before they beat you. They would fake their niceties and _pretend_ to care and then they would be beating you until you were begging them to stop.

               So Daryl ignored Glenn and tried to act like his brother so the man would leave him alone. He wasn’t counting on Glenn to be a persistent brat though, especially when he started to join Daryl on hunts. Glenn was pretty useless at hunting and tracking but he was good at scavenging, plus he would actually help to carry the animals back to camp (unlike Merle). Glenn always tried to strike up an awkward conversation with Daryl, but each time Daryl would ignore him or snap at him. To Daryl’s surprise, Glenn would respond positively to any sort of conversation Daryl gave him.

               He was weird.

               But even Daryl couldn’t ignore the fact that Glenn was _nice._ Glenn was kind and _soft._ Glenn taught him how to write his name and didn’t yell at him when Daryl got frustrated. Glenn didn’t call him stupid for not being in school. Glenn didn’t mock Daryl. Glenn hung Daryl’s words in his tent. Glenn gave him an extra spoonful of mashed potatoes when no one was looking. Glenn always brought him back a pack of M &M’s just for him when he went into Atlanta. Glenn always kept Daryl close when Merle was around. Glenn went back for Merle, even though Merle was awful to Glenn.

               Glenn was nice.

               And Daryl found himself getting closer and closer to Glenn, seeking any type of affection and touch from Glenn. He craved the praise that Glenn would give him for finding dinner. He _needed_ the soft touch that Glenn gave him whenever he killed a Walker on his own. He _wanted_ Glenn to keep looking out for him when no one else in the camp would.

               Even if the CDC was a disaster and there was no place safe for them anymore, Daryl still felt safer than he ever had. Riding on the back of his brother’s motorcycle, face pressed into Glenn’s back as they rode away from the burning remains of the CDC, Daryl felt safe.

 

* * *

 

               They had stopped when the RV had broken down. Again.

               Daryl thought that the old man should just get rid of the junky thing. Find a big van or something. It probably wasn’t worth it but he wasn’t about to talk about his opinions to anyone in the group.

               “Let’s see if we can find any parts in these cars or supplies that we can use. Stick together and stay close.” Rick finally sighed once Dale announced what was wrong with the RV. Daryl noticed the grimace on Glenn’s face when Dale pulled him over to help and explain the problem. Daryl figured that it wasn’t good by the look on Glenn’s face.

               “Stay in eye sight. No wandering.” Lori warned Carl who was already heading off with Sophia. Daryl would never understand why she always felt the need to keep Carl in a suffocating distance, or why Carl couldn’t listen to his mom for shit.

               “You too missy.” Carol nodded to Sophia who simply smiled and reached out to grab Daryl’s hand. That as another strange thing that had changed since the beginning of this little group. Sophia and Carl were actually willing to come up to Daryl and have him join in on their fun. Daryl was still pretty awkward and more often than not avoided interaction, but he couldn’t deny that it felt nice to be included.

               “See if you can find me some tools?” Glenn called over to Daryl when he noticed Daryl being dragged off with Sophia.

               That was another part of Glenn that Daryl liked. He liked that Glenn worried over him but didn’t treat him like a baby and force him to stay close. He made Daryl feel _useful_ by having him fetch supplies or scavenge for him.

               Daryl nodded and soon enough he was dragging Sophia and Carl with him to look. Sophia tucked her doll under her arm as she held hands with Daryl and Carl. Personally, Daryl thought that was pointless because both of her hands were now occupied and she wouldn’t be able to fight back if a Walker came.

               Carl picked through the back of a minivan while Daryl looked through the front seats. He winced at the dried blood and gore that littered the windshields and seats and ignored the smell of rotting flesh all around them. He was just glad there weren’t any dead bodies in this specific car. He’d seen a couple with rotting flesh that made their faces unrecognizable. 

               Daryl found a spare flashlight, some flares and an old pack of batteries that he tucked away, knowing they would come in handy soon. His brother’s crossbow pressed against his pack when he reached down between the seats, only to stop when his hand felt something soft.

               Daryl pulled the object out of its hiding space and swallowed, as he turned it over in his hands. It was an old teddy bear, with fur that used to be white but now was black and red with layers of dirt and crusted blood. One of its threaded eyes was falling apart but the overall condition of the bear was pretty good, considering everything happening.

               Daryl brushed gentle fingers over the bear, pushing back some of its matted fur and somewhere in the back of his memories, Daryl recognized the same type of teddy bear sitting in a little boy’s room. Right on the bed, where the boy could cuddle it when it got too dark. A gift from his mother and father.

               “Whoa. Look at this.” Daryl jumped out of his forgotten memories, shutting them away and dropping the bear. He turned without a second glance back to it before heading to the back of the van where Carl and Sophia were.

               Daryl’s eyes momentarily widened and he almost smiled when he saw the rolled up pack of weapons in Carl’s hands.  He couldn’t see what each weapon was but there were several, and he could make out a curved blade poking out the top. Sophia nervously bit her lip.

               “Is it safe?”

               “It’ll keep us safe. This is awesome!” Carl grinned, sharing a knowing look with Daryl who hadn’t even realized that he can communicate with Carl on such a level. Sophia still looked hesitant while Daryl wondered if there were any spare bolts in the pack or anywhere else.

               “Yeah, but shouldn’t we give this to the adults?”

               “C’mon Sophia we’re both almost 13, we’re practically adults.” Carl rolled his eyes playfully but the smile never left his face. Daryl awkwardly rubbed his arms, finally realizing how much younger he was than the other two. He really was just a kid compared to them.

               “Besides, Daryl’s got a crossbow already. We should have a weapon too so we can help him.” Carl continued without missing a beat. Daryl blinked in surprise but remained quiet while Sophia finally sighed. Eventually she smiled at Carl and Daryl and Carl almost shouted in glee. Thankfully he kept quiet.

               “We should probably show the others. So’s everyone gets a weapon.” Daryl pointed out, remembering that Glenn didn’t even have a gun on him half the time. He didn’t understand why the thought of Glenn defenseless and unarmed made his stomach churn, but that curved machete would do good. It was light and Glenn would still be able to run with it.

               “You’re right.” Carl nodded in agreement, much to Daryl’s surprise. “As long as we still getta use one.” With that, he grabbed the rolled-up bag of weapons and quickly walked back towards the group of adults who were still scavenging and repairing the RV. Daryl followed him, much slower and eyeing the cars around them and Sophia sprinted after her friend with a grin. When Daryl finally reached Glenn and the other adults, Carl was already showing off the package to everyone else. Daryl wasn’t too surprised that Lori wanted Carl to have nothing to do with the weapons and that Rick somewhat agreed. He was satisfied when Glenn grabbed the curved machete and took it with him. Glenn glanced in his direction and caught the ends of Daryl’s smile before the boy looked away, ears red.

               “Look it’s a hatchet!” Carl grinned excitedly, already waving the hatchet around in both hands. Lori came up from behind him, clearly worried.

               “Be careful with those. Don’t play with them.” She said.

               Carl ignored her for a second, much to Daryl’s amusement. “They’re really sharp.”

               “What did I just say?” Lori sighed.

               “Can I keep one?” The boy was persistent and Daryl had to give him some credit.

               “Are you crazy?” Lori asked before taking the hatchet away. Daryl snickered to himself, while Carl pouted in annoyance. Rick looked back over at them with a small smile.

               “But Daryl has a crossbow!” Carl groaned causing Daryl to frown. And now the moment was ruined. He caught Lori eying the crossbow over his shoulder, as if she didn’t trust he could hold it and Daryl scowled. He ignored the sheepish look from Carl.

               “That’s because Daryl actually knows how to use it. Better than any of us.” Rick answered with a shrug, when Lori glared his way. Daryl’s frown softened but he remained silent. He’d rather not get involved anymore and have any more blame put on him.

               As Lori and Rick walked away to scavenge some more, Daryl saw Carl grab hold of one of the smaller hatchets with a grin Daryl snorted, shaking his head, but didn’t speak up. _Why not let him have it?_

               When Daryl decided to follow T-Dog and seek out some more supplies, he was stopped short but a sudden and terrified yell from Dale.

               _Walkers._

               Daryl felt his heart beginning to race in his chest. He was used to Walkers by now, after all he and Merle encountered many when they were on their own, but he still got nervous around them. Every time he would look, into their lifeless cloudy eyes, or stare at the peeling flesh and blood on their faces; every time he had to fight for his life and kill a Walker, Daryl’s heart raced and his eyes burned.

               Daryl had never killed a person before.

               He didn’t think that Walkers counted as people.

               Still it didn’t make it any easier.

               “Under the cars! Hide under the cars!” Daryl could hear Rick whispering harshly. He looked behind him. He looked over his shoulders to see the others were beginning to crawl under the cars. All the adults and children.

               When Daryl noticed Glenn still working on the engine of the RV, he felt his heart practically leap into his chest. For the first time in years, Daryl felt the icy cold chill of raw fear for someone other than himself. He was too far away to tell Glenn himself, and yelling would only attract the attention of the herd coming their way. He froze for a split second, unsure of what to do next. _Could he make it to Glenn if he ran? Should he just hide? Would Glenn die?_

               Daryl didn’t know why but the thought of Glenn dying made his stomach churn and his eyes fill with tears.

               Thankfully, before Daryl’s meltdown, Shane had grabbed a hold of Glenn and was shoving him under the RV. Only once Glenn was safely out of sight, did Daryl maneuver himself underneath a car. He saw T-Dog up head and assumed the man would be diving under a car soon enough and thought nothing else of it.

               That’s when he heard the moans.

               The moans that haunted many of his newest nightmares. The moans of Walkers. Their feet scrapped against the ground, dragging with effort as they trudged through the rows of abandoned cars in search of foot. Daryl could hear them from behind and they were slowly coming up on him.

               “Ugh.” Daryl blinked at the pained groan that he recognized had come from T-Dog. Daryl could feel his heartbeat in his throat when the sudden scent of copper hit his nose. The scent of fresh blood was apparent to Daryl and he knew it would only be a matter of time before the Walkers recognized the scent too.

               A couple already had smelt the blood and were moving faster beside the car where Daryl was hiding under, towards T-Dog. Daryl knew that he was safe where he was and if he stayed quiet, then he would be fine. No Walkers would get to him. They would be distracted by T-Dog.

               _“Shut your mouth and stay low.” Merle hissed, clamping a hand over Daryl’s mouth, effectively waking the boy from a light slumber. They were staying out in the woods, traveling with two other companions for a few days now and there was no sign of nearby camps._

_Daryl’s eyes widened when his eyes finally locked onto the bloody bodies of their two companions. He could hear the sounds of moans coming from the trees, meaning Walkers had been nearby._

_Daryl squirmed upon realizing the two men were still alive and bleeding heavily from wounds in their arms._

_“Shut it. We need to make a break once these sonabitches are distracted.” Merle whispered, eyes on the trees. Daryl’s eyes drifted down to the bloody knife blade that was in its sheath on Merle’s belt and his he swallowed thickly._

_The two companions cried out at sight of the Walkers coming towards them and weakly scrambled to get away. Daryl struggled in Merle’s grip._

_“Help! Help! Help us, please!”_

_“Please! Please!”_

_“Not a word, baby brother.” Merle warned darkly and Daryl couldn’t stop the tears from falling down his cheeks as he stared in horror when a group of Walkers surrounded the two wounded men and began to eat. Daryl squeezed his eyes shut upon hearing teeth tearing apart flesh and the wet noises of blood and organs spilling over. He could still hear their screams over the moans of the Walker and silently Daryl sobbed._

_“Let’s go. We need to find a camp.”_ _Merle muttered bitterly and began to drag Daryl behind him. Eventually he let go of Daryl’s mouth, satisfied that his brother would not make a sound and the two bolted away from the herd of Walkers as quickly as possible._

_All the way, the screams of the dead echoed in Daryl’s mind over and over._

               Daryl winced when T-Dog fell over, back pressed against a car. He could see a Walker making its way towards T-Dog and Daryl swallowed. _He was going to die. He’s going to die._

               In a split-second decision, Daryl rolled himself out from under the car, shoving against a Walker beside him and taking a knife to its head. Heart racing and blood pumping Daryl stabbed the walker in front of T-Dog until it was dead. The Walker’s black blood poured out of its wound and on T-Dog, who was gawking with surprise at Daryl. He jumped when Daryl shoved the Walker body on top of T-Dog.

               “Get under them and shut yer mouth!” Daryl whispered harshly, filled with adrenaline as he grabbed a dead body from inside the car beside him and pulling it on top of him. He almost groaned out loud at touch the decaying body and he gaged at the stench coming off the body.

               He heard the Walkers shuffling past him and T-Dog without a second glance. His trick seemed to be working. The two of them went unnoticed by the Walkers as they silently lay in a pile of death. Daryl’s eyes were darting from the body on top of him to T-Dog and the Walkers trudging past him. His throat tightened as they walked within a few feet of him and T-Dog but luckily, they kept going.

               After what felt like hours, Daryl noticed that the Walkers had kept walking and were no longer near him or T-Dog. Daryl didn’t dare to move or make a sound even when he was sure that the Walkers were no longer near him. He waited in agonizing silence for any sound of straggling Walkers coming back for them. Only once T-Dog pushed the body off him and wearily sat up.

               Finally, Daryl could push the body off him and he couldn’t scramble away fast enough. His chest heaved as if he couldn’t get enough air and Daryl pushed himself up against the back of the car, eyes trained on the dead body that was previously on him.

               “You saved my life.” T-Dog said immediately once he was freed from the dead body on top of him. Daryl felt his face heat up when he noticed T-Dog looking at him with such awe and wonder, rather than resentment or disgust. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet before eyeing the wound on T-Dogs arm.

                “Ya better get that wrapped. Looks nasty.” Daryl wrinkled his nose and T-Dog nodded, but his look of awe never once left his face. Thankfully, (or unfortunately really) Daryl didn’t have to answer because he was cut off by the sound of a scream.

                Sophia’s scream.

                Daryl and T-Dog scrambled upwards just in time to see Sophia crawling out from under a car with two Walkers coming for her. Daryl swallowed thickly when Sophia jumped over the guard rail and bolted into the forest with both Walkers hot on her trail. Daryl didn’t even think twice before he was suddenly sprinting towards the guardrail.

                “Daryl! Daryl!” He ignored T-Dog’s shouts and hopped over the railing, just in time to see the two Walkers disappearing into the forest. Daryl could hear others following him, (probably Sheriff Rick or Shane) but he ignored them and prayed that he would make it in time. In time to help Sophia.

_“Daryl!”_

                Glenn’s heart was racing when Sophia had screamed and the Walkers were reaching for him. He saw Carol struggling in Lori’s grip, tears pouring down her face. Glenn was already scrambling out from under the RV and he could see Rick and Shane following closely. Just as Glenn had gotten to his feet, and didn’t catch sight of anymore Walkers, he felt his heart leap into his throat when Daryl had leapt over the guardrail. Instantly, he was sprinting after Daryl, gripping the machete tightly in his hands.

                Glenn’s entire focus was on Daryl and images of Daryl being bitten filled his mind. Glenn couldn’t help but think back to Amy and how she had been bitten before turning into a mindless, killer Walker. Glenn could picture Daryl with a grotesque bite wound on his skinny arm, bone sticking out, and eyes sunken in and clouded over – taking away from those beautiful baby blue eyes – with skin decaying. He swallowed at the thought of Daryl wandering around aimless, looking for food, no longer human. He couldn’t bear the thought of Daryl becoming a Walker.

                He couldn’t bear the thought of having to kill Daryl.

                Glenn knew that Daryl meant more to him, now, than he wanted to ever admit. Somehow that little boy, from the Northern woods of Georgia had wormed his way into Glenn’s heart and taken over. He’d gotten Glenn (the same Glenn that was so awkward with kids, his oldest sister would laugh at him when her girls didn’t want to be near Glenn; the same Glenn that delivered pizzas and went to school for computer engineering and wasted his time playing video games) to care for him and Glenn wasn’t about to stop.

                Not until he was dead.

                “Daryl! Sophia!” Glenn called into the forest, not caring if every Walker in Georgia could hear him. Rick and Shane were right behind him but Glenn didn’t dare look back. When he came into an open clearing, beside a creek, Glenn stopped to catch his breath. When he looked around he couldn’t see the two Walkers anywhere, nor could he see any sight of Daryl or Sophia. Rick and Shane came to a stop beside him.

                “Where could they have gone?! Which way would they go?” Glenn panicked; realizing that the longer they stayed here, the more likely Daryl and Sophia could be eaten. His heart was hammering in his chest and he was surprised to find tears building in his eyes.

                “Daryl! Daryl! Sophia!” Glenn cupped his hands over his mouth as he yelled, only to have Shane clamp both hands over Glenn’s mouth. Glenn struggled in Shane’s arms, kicking and snarling.

                “Shut up. Do you want to attract that herd right to us? Or even, lead them _right_ to Daryl?” It was a low blow and both Shane and Glenn knew it, but it kept Glenn quiet. However, Glenn glared darkly at Shane and shoved his hands off him. When he didn’t yell again Shane was satisfied.

               “Look.” Rick pointed behind Glenn, causing the man to anxiously spin around. However, his heart sunk to the ground at sight of a Walker straggling behind him. Glenn’s eyes locked on to the knife that was sticking out of the bloody neck of the Walker – _Daryl’s knife -_  and the small vest that was hanging off one of the arms of the Walker. _Daryl’s vest._

               “No.” Glenn swallowed thickly when Daryl nor Sophia emerged from the trees. He could feel his eyes beginning to burn and his throat closing up at the possibility of Daryl and Sophia’s death. “No. No. No.” Rick and Shane both looked uncomfortable with Rick looking more devastated out of the two.

               “We – we don’t know for sure.” Rick attempted weakly, causing a small sob to escape from Glenn. Meanwhile, Shane snorted.

               “It looks pretty clear to me. I’m sorry Glenn.” Shane sighed sadly and Glenn snarled.

               “No!” He shouted before bolting straight for the Walker. Rick and Shane both shouted after him but Glenn was too focused on the monster in front of him. In the beginning Glenn had been afraid of the Walkers, terrified of what they had become if they weren’t human. It wasn’t until now, with Daryl’s life hanging on the line, did Glenn ever think of them as _monsters._ Before they just weren’t human.

               Now though, now they were monsters.

               And Glenn wanted them dead.

               Glenn struck the Walker on the head with the butt of his weapon before the Walker could even turn to face him.  The Walker groaned and attempted to grab at Glenn but Glen had slashed the blade down across the Walker’s face and it dropped deaf to the ground. However, Glenn didn’t stop there. Instead he brought the blade down on the Walker again and again and again, each time more and more tears poured from his eyes. He could feel his cries building up in his chest and pooling beneath his skin.            _It wasn’t fair._

               Glenn nearly screamed as he bashed in the head of the dead Walker.

               _It’s not fair. Why him?_

               Glenn could feel Rick and Shane both grabbing onto him and trying to pull him away from the mutilated corpse he sat on.

               _It’s not fair._

_It’s not fair!_

               “No! Let me go!” Glenn screamed, lashing out and barely missing from hitting Rick on the head. Shane huffed as he snatched the machete out of Glenn’s hand and finally Rick was able to drag Glenn away. Before he was completely grabbed, Glenn held onto the vest in his hands and he finally cried.

               Rick swallowed thickly as Glenn cried out in anguish, on his knees and clutching onto the little leather vest with angel wings as if his life depended on it. Rick’s thoughts went to Carl and how easily this could have been Carl, before his thoughts wandered to Daryl and Sophia. Both only children and now lost or dead.

               As Glenn sobbed, Rick bowed his head and Shane looked away.

               _It wasn’t fair._

 

* * *

 

               Daryl was scared.

               He wasn’t about to tell Sophia that but he was scared. As scared as he was when his father had found out that Daryl kept a puppy hidden in his room. His heart was pounding but his lungs were aching and his limps hurt.

               The two of them had been running from Walkers for what felt like _days._ Daryl didn’t even remember how long it had been since he first caught up with Sophia. He was more than relieved that Sophia had been alive and hiding from the two Walkers that Daryl took on. He managed to kill one with his crossbow and stuck his knife in another that had grabbed a hold of his chest. Unfortunately, he’d dropped his arrows in a mad scrambled to get away from the dead hands crawling up his back and Daryl had ditched the vest before gabbing Sophia by the hand and sprinting away as fast as he could. He was thankfully that Sophia was taller and could easily keep up with him.

               When they could no longer see or hear the Walker they both stopped for breath. Then Sophia had asked how they could get back and Daryl had panicked. He was ashamed but with his mind in overdrive, adrenaline and fear pumping through his veins, Daryl wasn’t in the best of minds to realize which direction they were in, or which direction that highway was in. He could only think about getting Sophia to safety.

               For days Daryl tried to remember how to get back and soon enough he was praying that Glenn or Rick or _someone_ would find them. They were low on water and Daryl was already beginning to feel the effects of dehydration under the hot Georgia sun. He knew that Sophia could feel it too but was thankful she never complained.

               Although, whenever they seemed to feel safe enough to stop, they were overrun by Walkers. In the trees, by a creek, in the small church that they had found. Eventually, Daryl had taken a candle stand in the church and killed off as many Walkers as he could until the inside was clear. Then he told Sophia to block all the windows and doors with pews or furniture so Walkers couldn’t get in.

               Finally, they felt safe.

               For now.

               Daryl’s mind was in a fog when his throat burned from the heat. He’d given the last of his water to Sophia and he knew he needed to find a stream or creek for more but Daryl could barely move. His limps ached from always running and fighting off Walkers. His mind was a jumbled mess, probably from heat stroke. Occasionally, Sophia would check on him out of worry and try to get him to drink but Daryl only took the bare minimum and told Sophia to drink more.

               “No, Daryl, you need it more.” Sophia’s throat hurt too and her lips had cracked with fresh blood from being so dry, but Daryl looked like he could barely keep his eyes open. He was lying on the ground with his head in Sophia’s lap and Sophia winced at the heat radiating from Daryl’s face. She knew from experience that getting too hot too quickly could kill Daryl, her mama had said so. So without Daryl knowing, Sophia had torn a piece off the sleeve of her shirt and drenched it in water, before resting it on Daryl’s head.

               _Maybe I could go out and find some more water. Or maybe some berries for food?_ Sophia thought worriedly when Daryl didn’t so much as flinch when she put the wet cloth on his head. Her eyes filled with tears when Daryl’s dull eyes barely flickered up in her direction before his face morphed into a look of childish confusion.

               It was then that Sophia remembered how young Daryl was. He was just a kid, unlike her and Carl who were almost teens. Daryl wasn’t even ten yet. A baby really, and yet he was doing a better job protecting her than she was of him. Now he was paying the price.

               “Mama?” Daryl croaked hoarsely and Sophia winced. He was sounding worse and worse by the hour and it was only a matter of time before he fell unconscious. Sophia swallowed, blinking back tears as a childish look of innocence washed over Daryl’s glazed eyes.

               “No, Daryl it’s me. Sophia.” Sophia whispered.

               “Mama?” Daryl whispered again, feebly trying to look up at Sophia. “Mama, where’s…Sophia?” Sophia knew that Daryl’s confusion was not a good sign.

               “I’m right here Daryl. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” Sophia whispered and stroked the side of Daryl’s face. Daryl continued to look at her with wonder before sighing tiredly.

               “I’m tired mama.”

               “It’s okay to rest. You’re safe now Daryl. We’re both safe thanks to you.” Sophia croaked and brushed back the sweaty bangs off Daryl’s forehead.

               “Gotta…protect…Sophia…and Glenn…” Daryl mumbled, nearly incoherent. His eyes fluttered shut and Sophia panicked. She didn’t know what to do if Daryl fell unconscious right now. Without any help or adults, Sophia was afraid that Daryl would never open his eyes again.

               “Glenn’s coming for you. Don’t close your eyes for mama or Sophia. Glenn will be here soon.” Sophia said quickly, giving Daryl’s cheek a gentle pat. Daryl blinked sluggishly and blearily looked up at Sophia.

               “Like Glenn, mama…nice…and Sophia…” Daryl mumbled weakly and Sophia nodded, feeling a tear drop down her nose.

               “That’s good. Glenn’s real nice. Isn’t he? And he loves you very much.” Sophia said softly. “I love you very much too.” Daryl blinked tiredly up at Sophia and his face scrunched up in confusion. Sophia could feel the beginnings of his body starting to shake from dehydration and exhaustion.

               “Wanna go home…” Daryl sighed, and his breath hitched with sadness. Sophia couldn’t stop the hiccup from coming and she pressed her forehead against Daryl’s. Her own body began to tremble with silent sobs. _I’m sorry Daryl. I’m sorry mommy. I’m so sorry._

               She pulled Daryl into her lap and pressed her back up against the boarded up window behind her. Daryl barely moved as she cried. However, within the next second Sophia’s entire body froze with fear at the unfamiliar sounds of moaning Walkers.

               Dozens of them.

               Her heart was hammering in her ribcage when she peeked through the cracks of the boarded up window to see several Walker’s closing in on, no doubt having heard her and Daryl. Daryl’s face scrunched up when Sophia shrieked and it only took a second before two sets of decaying hands had pushed through the old wood of the boards and latched onto Sophia.

               She screamed out of fear, trying hard to break away from the dead hands that had grabbed a hold of her. She was terrified at how strong they were, despite being dead. When she saw two more hands beginning to claw at Daryl in her arms, she knew that only one of them could make it out of this alive. There was no way for both of them to escape this time.

               Swallowing, Sophia cried out and prayed for forgiveness before she shoved Daryl.

 

* * *

 

               Glenn felt like he was the only one who _wanted_ to keep looking for Daryl and Sophia. It had been over a week and in that time, Carl had been accidentally shot by someone named Otis, who took Rick, Shane and Carl to the Greene farm where apparently some family had managed to survive and keep out of the apocalypse.

               Glenn had taken up Lori and the others to the farm, when Otis’ friend Maggie had offered them sanctuary until Carl had recovered. Otis seemed remorseful for the accident but Glenn was still too worried about Daryl and Sophia and now Carl to care much.

               The Greene family had been awful kind to let them all set up camp while Carl healed, even if they were only allowed outside on the property but whatever.

               Carol and Glenn had been the most reluctant to move the RV and their cars from the highway. _What if Daryl and Sophia came back to the highway and they weren’t there?_ So Carol was adamant about heading to their spot on the highway every day to wait with a sign painted on a car for Daryl and Sophia. Glenn knew Shane and several others were beginning to doubt that the two kids were alive but Glenn threatened anyone that tried to express that concern to him _or_ Carol. Thankfully, Carol had taken to talking to Glenn and thanked him every day for looking for their children. Glenn swallowed at the idea that Carol was referring to Daryl as _his_ but made no comment.

               By now, only Glenn and Rick would go on hunts to look for Daryl and Sophia through the woods around the Greene house. Every day T-Dog surprised Glenn by wishing his luck and stating that once he was healed he would be out at first life to look for those kids.

               “Daryl saved my life. Keep the Walkers from getting to me when he could have stayed hidden under the cars. Thanks to him, I’m still here. He ain’t nothing like his brother and I owe that boy my life.” T-Dog had explained when Glenn finally asked about his sudden concern for Daryl.

               Glenn had nearly broken down in tears again but refrained. _Daryl’s heart was so big and no one else could see it yet._

               Glenn was ready to punch Shane in the throat, because every day he continued to claim that they were wasting their time and Daryl and Sophia were dead. He hated to admit it but he was trying to be “realistic.” Luckily, Rick started the hunts before Shane could rant too much.

               Today, Glenn had stumbled upon a trail that belonged to a tiny little church in the middle of the woods. His heart raced with excitement and for the first time in over a week Rick and Glenn had looked at each other with more than just hope. The church was a perfect place to hide out.

               His heart sunk at the sight of a couple dead Walkers around the church and dark blood staining the walls. Upon seeing one boarded up window that looked as if it had been broken into, Glenn scrambled toward it and peeked in through the holes.

               What he saw was a small body lying on the floor, un recognizable from the Walker blood surrounding it and Glenn felt his heart stop.

               He tore through the rotting boards along the window, glad that Rick had found him and followed his directions easily. Glenn couldn’t get into the church fast enough as he scrambled towards the limp body and hesitated before rolling it over. He knew who it was before needing to roll it over and Glenn swallowed painfully.

               He felt Rick kneel down neck to him and the two shared a solemn look.

               “On three.” Rick said while Glenn nodded. “One. Two. Three.” With that both Rick and Glenn rolled the body over and Glenn came face to face with the pale and dirty face of Daryl Dixon. _No. No._ He could feel Rick beginning to run his hands all over Daryl’s body while Glenn had to look away. He couldn’t face it if Daryl was…if he was really dead. This was worse than not knowing if Daryl was alive or dead.

               “He’s still breathing.” Glenn felt his breath catch in throat at Rick’s words and his eyes snapped down to Daryl’s pale face. Immediately, Glenn was running his hands all along Daryl’s face and down his neck, where he felt the tiniest of heartbeats beating under his fingers. _Daryl was alive._

               “Daryl. Oh god, there’s a heartbeat. Daryl! Oh thank god!” Glenn almost cried out as he pulled Daryl into his arms, ignoring the blood covering Daryl. Beside him, Rick breathed a heavy sigh of relief and even he couldn’t stop from running his hands through Daryl’s hair as if trying to make sure Daryl was still alive.

               There was a small and quiet moan that came from Daryl before his eyes fluttered open. Glenn was more than a little relieved to see those baby blue eyes instead of the cloudy, milky-white eyes that Walkers had.

               “Daryl? Hey there bud, it’s okay. You’re okay now.” Glenn shushed the boy quietly when Daryl let out a harsh cough. Glenn could feel the heat radiating from Daryl and knew the boy must be suffering from heat stroke. He didn’t know what else could be wrong with Daryl and was afraid to even move him, but at the same time he wanted nothing more than to get Daryl safely back at the farm.

               “Sophia…” Daryl moaned weakly.  Rick immediately started looking around the church for the Sophia while Glenn continued to kneel with Daryl.  His hands shook as he freed one hand to grab the canteen on his back. “Sophia…Sophia…bit…Sophia…” Glenn’s stomach sunk at Daryl’s words. _Could he mean that Sophia was bit?_

               “Shh, shh. You need to drink some water. It’s going to be okay Daryl.” Glenn whispered and held the canteen up at Daryl’s lips. The boy’s eyes barely twitched and he did not move so Glenn was forced to open Daryl’s mouth himself and pour the water. Eventually, Daryl felt the cold water soothing his throat and he eagerly latched onto the canteen, hoping to drink as much as he could. Glenn monitored Daryl and reluctantly pulled the canteen away from Daryl, despite Daryl’s weak cries, as so to make sure Daryl wasn’t sick.

               “I’m sorry, you can’t drink too much.” Glenn tried to soothe Daryl as he began to pour the water all along Daryl’s fevered face and wiped it along Daryl’s body. Daryl shook at the feeling of cold water on his skin but for a moment he felt better.

               “Sophia’s not here. She’s not anywhere in the church, but there’s a door that was recently opened. She might have gotten out that way to find help.” Rick sighed, angrily kicking a fallen pew when he couldn’t find Sophia. Glenn swallowed thickly, feeling less excited that they didn’t find her alongside Daryl. Now she was lost and _alone._

               Before Glenn could respond, he was interrupted by light shuffling from outside and a low growl. His eyes widened in recognition and Rick’s expression hardened. Glenn’s eyes looked down at Daryl who was too weak to move, let alone fight, and there was no way that Glenn could fight if he was holding Daryl.

               “Get Daryl and get ready to run.” Rick whispered lowly, crouched beside Glenn and Daryl as he eyed the open door in the back of the church. Glenn nodded, face set in determination before hauling Daryl into his arms and tucking Daryl’s head under his chin. Daryl whined at the sudden movement, causing Glenn to put a hand over his mouth.

               The shuffling and growls came closer and Glenn’s palms felt sweaty. He would protect Daryl with his dying breath if he had to. Daryl would survive. And Glenn would find Sophia –

               “Now!” Rick hissed and jumped from his spot, gun cocked and ready to fire when the Walker stepped through the door. Glenn only made it to his feet before he was frozen in horror. He jerked back, nearly dropping Daryl and even Rick hesitated beside him. The Walker stepped into the chin, eyes darting around and hissing at them.

               Glenn’s eyes filled with tears and he felt his heart break at the sight.

               The Walker was Sophia.

               She looked dirty and ragged with pale skin and dark circles under milky eyes. Glenn’s eyes were immediately drawn to the gaping bite wound on her neck where raw flesh and bone were poking out. He winced when she snapped her teeth in their direction and made her way to he and Rick, with no recognition of them in her eyes. There was nothing human left in her eyes.

               _No, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. This wasn’t how Sophia was supposed to have endured._ Glenn prayed to whoever was listening that this was all some sick dream, and he would wake up in the RV with Daryl safe and Sophia _alive._ He prayed over and over but with every second the Walker that once was Sophia was advancing on them.

               “No, god no.” Glenn croaked and Rick’s hand that was holding the gun, shook.

               “Sophia?” Daryl whimpered, turning his head so that he could face the Walker coming for them. Glenn’s throat tightened and the tears did fall from his eyes as he attempted to hide Daryl’s face in his neck. So that he would be spared the gruesome sight of his friend. “Sophia…Sophia…”

               “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Rick croaked and re-aimed his gun. Glenn wanted to scream and cry and shout at the unfairness of it all but he knew that Rick was doing what’s best. And Glenn couldn’t imagine having to be the one to _shoot_ Sophia.

               Glenn closed his eyes and turned away with Daryl still in his arms. Daryl had started to cry in Glenn’s arm, slightly more conscious than before.

               “No, no, don’t leave her…don’t leave…Sophia…Sophia, Sophia…”  His words were dry sobs into Glenn’s and Glenn tightened his hold on Daryl. As he made his way out the front of the church, Glenn closed his eyes at the sound of a gun firing and a small body hitting the floor.

               “Sophia… _Sophia…”_

 

* * *

 

               Glenn couldn’t even look at Rick as he carried the body that belong to Sophia. The body in his own arms felt almost as dead as Sophia and he almost faltered a few times in walking back to the far. Glenn ignored the calls from the others when he and Rick emerged from the tree line. He ignored the way that Carol looked relieved for a split second, as if her baby were still alive. He ignored the look of realization on Carol’s face when she finally caught sight of the wound on Sophia’s neck and the paleness of her skin. He ignored how Andrea held onto Carol when she dropped to her knees sobbing and screaming for Sophia. He ignored the pained looks on everyone’s face, even Shane’s. All he could focus on was getting Daryl to Hershel before it was too late.

               Luckily, Hershel and Maggie were already waiting for him on their porch and ushered him inside while Rick led Carol to Sophia’s body.

               “What about the other missing one? The girl?” Maggie asked when Rick did not follow Glenn into the house. She looked at Glenn and saw the haunted look in his eyes, before she gasped.

               “Daryl’s still alive. He’s barely breathing and his pulse is weak but he’s fighting.” Glenn croaked, surprised at how bad his voice sounded. Hershel nodded his way, already clearing a bed in the guest room and motioned for Glenn to put Daryl down.

               “I think – I think he’s got heat stroke or something. He was burning up when we found him.” Glenn continued hoarsely and Hershel sighed. When Daryl was set on the bed, Glenn found himself brushing back the knotted bangs on Daryl’s forehead, watching as Daryl’s eyelids twitched. Sweat pooled down his face and neck and suddenly there was the sound of scissors snipping away.

               Maggie and Hershel was beginning to cut away the rags that were Daryl’s clothes and exposing his skin. Glenn’s eyes watered when he saw the ribs sticking out from Daryl’s chest and the way that his hipbones jutted out. Glenn’s eyes lingered on the bruises and streaks of scars that littered every inch of Daryl’s body. From his chest to his little legs, there were scars crisscrossing and jutting out from smooth skin and old bruises healing. Glenn felt sick and nearly threw up.

               _He hadn’t realized it had been this bad. No one did._

               Glenn heard the sharp intakes of breath from both Maggie and Hershel, before Maggie had suddenly shoved him up against a wall. Glenn winced, more shocked then angry, at the furious expression in Maggie’s eyes. Glancing at Hershel, he could see the older man felt the same.

               “What’s this about boy?” Hershel finally demanded, sounding nothing like the kind old man that Glenn had gotten to know. “I know these scars and bruises ain’t from his hiding in the woods just now.”

               “Are you abusing this boy? Your group?” Maggie hissed after her father’s questions. Glenn nearly felt his eyes bug out of his head and he was quick to shake his head. However, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling a bit of his own anger at how little these two believed in him; at how quick they were to assume _he_ was hurting Daryl.

               “No way.” Glenn hissed, shoving against the arm by his throat. “I would _never_ hurt Daryl. _Ever._ I was out there looking for him every day because I love him. His piece of shit brother and probably his father did that to him before the world went to shit.” Glenn stated firmly, staring Maggie down. She held his gaze without hesitation, and was impressed by the look on Glenn’s face. Hershel watched Glenn and Maggie and search Glenn’s face for any hint of a lie. When he could find none, Hershel nodded and soon Glenn was released from Maggie’s grips.

               “This brother with you guys?” Hershel couldn’t help but ask as he set to work and checked Daryl over.

               “No. Bastard’s lost somewhere on his own or hopefully dead.” Glenn spat, watching Hershel carefully. Maggie nodded and her lips curled into a soft smirk.

               “Good. Wish he was here so we could kill him ourselves.”

               “Get in line.  I get first go at ‘im, then Rick and the others. No one liked that asshole, except Daryl because he was his brother.” Glenn growled unconsciously and Daryl whimpered. Instantly, he was by Daryl’s side, clutching his hand.

               “Maggie, get a bowl of water and some wash clothes. We need to get his body temperature down. Tell Beth to bring my bag of medical supplies.” Hershel interrupted the two and Maggie nodded once before she walked out of the room.

               “How – how bad is he?” Glenn was almost afraid to ask Hershel but he had to know.

               “He’s severally dehydrated and malnourished. He’s also suffering from Heat stroke like you mention and he’s got a deep gash on his leg. I’m betting he cut it on a branch or something. I can stitch that up easily and we can just hope that an infection doesn’t set in with some antibiotics. Thankfully, Shane…and Otis…went on that run so we shouldn’t be low on medicine between him, Carl and T-Dog.” Hershel explained while he cleaned inside of Daryl’s elbow with an alcohol wipe. “Other than that, it looks like minor cuts and scrapes. I want to administer an IV drip to get fluids in him faster and then we work to cool his body temperature down.”

               Glenn nodded, unable to find his voice to speak. Daryl might not be dead but he it still didn’t mean that Daryl was out of the woods.

               Just then, Maggie and her younger sister, Beth, both came into the room. Beth set a large bag beside Hershel and pulled out an IV bag, while Maggie was already beginning to wipe down Daryl’s skin with a wet rag. Glenn stood for a minute, lost as he held onto Daryl’s hand. All it took was one look from Maggie before she grabbed Glenn’s free hand and pressed a wet rag into it.

               “Here, help me cool him down. It’ll help.” Glenn nodded but he couldn’t find his voice to speak and instead set out to washing down Daryl’s face as gently as he could. All the while, Glenn prayed that Daryl would be alright. Maggie, Beth and Hershel worked in silence and Glenn was grateful. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to speak if any of them asked him to.

               _Please let him live._

               Later, when Daryl opened his eyes, he felt like he was floating.

               His body felt loose and numb and his mind was in a fog. His vision was blurred and it took several blinks before he could even begin to make out shapes. When Daryl tried to open his mouth to speak, he was surprised to find that his tongue and lips wouldn’t move as he wanted them to. However, despite the floating feeling throughout his body, Daryl noticed that he wasn’t on a hard ground anymore and that his throat didn’t hurt too bad anymore. It was dry and as he ran a numb tongue across it, Daryl realized how parched he was. Though when he tried to move his arm, Daryl found that he could barely even lift his head up.

               He turned his gaze around the room and realized that he was in an unfamiliar room and was no doubt on a bed. _But how did he get there?_ Daryl didn’t remember finding a bed. In fact, he really couldn’t remember much after the highway incident.

               When Daryl looked around the room, his eyes finally focused on a figure beside him, resting their head on the bed he was laying in. Daryl frowned and blinked several more times when he couldn’t get the figure in focus. Eventually, Daryl could make out dark hair, an old t-shirt and a _familiar_ hat on the bed. Daryl’s eyes widened.

               “…Gl’nn?” Daryl managed to mumble through numb lips. He attempted to move the arm closest to Glenn in order to reach out and shake the man awake, but found he couldn’t even move a finger. Daryl swallowed painfully. “Gl’nn?”

               He heard a low moan coming from Glenn and Daryl blinked.  Before Daryl could try to wake Glenn up, someone else stepped into the room. Sluggishly, Daryl’s head lolled around so that he could face the new intruder entering the room.

               Daryl’s heart raced.

               He couldn’t make out the face of the figure, but he could tell that it was male and that he was old. Daryl could make white hair on the main’s head and a beard. _Familiar white hair like his father’s._ His throat tightened painfully and Daryl weakly tried to get away from the man he assumed to be his father.

_“Th’ fuck you think yer doin’ lying around boy?”_

               Daryl whined pitiful when the man came closer to his bed, big hands immediately reaching out at Daryl. Towards Daryl. He hissed when two large hands settled themselves on his arms. _Big hands that could easily wrap around his throat, like his father’s._ Daryl weakly squirmed to get away.

               _Fuckin’ no good, lazy, sonabitch. Knew Merle was good for somethin’.”_

               “No. No.” Daryl croaked and the hands continued to try to push him back down into the bed. Daryl could feel his breathing beginning to sped up in order to match his racing heart. _He had to get away; he needed to get away._

               “Daryl. Daryl. Hey, hey, it’s okay buddy. Hey, you’re safe. It’s okay.” Through the pain and fog that was in Daryl’s mind, he recognized the familiar voice now calling out to him. Daryl peeked one eye open, still noticing that his vision was blurred, to see a new figure was standing beside the man Daryl imagined was his father. The man had stepped away and it was then that Daryl noticed the lack of hands on him.

               “…’lenn?” Daryl finally mumbled and he could begin to make out Glenn’s face. There was an encouraging smile on Glenn’s face with tears in his eyes, but his entire focus was on Daryl as he stroked Daryl’s hair back.

               “Hey, yeah, it’s Glenn buddy. You’re safe.” Glenn said shakily and Daryl blinked slowly. “You’re in Dr. Hershel’s house, he’s the man beside me. He’s not going to hurt you, I promise. In fact, he saved your life and has been watching over you since we found you.” Glenn explained, finally relieved that Daryl had opened his eyes after being unconscious for nearly two days. He only wished that Daryl had woken up on better circumstances, but he couldn’t blame the boy for panicking after being in a foreign house.

               “…f’nd me?” Daryl asked in awe and Glenn bit his lip with a nod.

               “Of course, sweetheart.” Glenn didn’t even notice the slip of his tongue as he addressed the little boy, who looked like nothing more than a scared little boy who just wanted a hug. “I never stopped looking for you when we couldn’t find you or Sophia.” Daryl’s glazed eyes widened at the mention of the other girl. Daryl’s fever had broken last night finally and his body temperature had dropped to normal conditions, but he was still fighting against the wound in his leg.

               “…Sop’ia?” Daryl asked and immediately Glenn understood. He felt his heart drop at the mention of the little girl. Carol had only just managed to get away from her daughter’s body after crying that this wasn’t her daughter anymore. Glenn felt for the woman and just like he was, he knew that everyone else was mourning the death of Sophia. Especially Carl. They had just finally buried her this morning and a dark cloud was looming over the group.

               Glenn noticed Daryl’s eyes drooping and caught a nod from Hershel.

               “Hey, Daryl? Why don’t you get some more rest? You’re going to need a lot of it to get better.” Glenn whispered softly, never once breaking eye contact with Daryl. “I’ll be right here when you wake up, okay?”

               Daryl had frowned at Glenn’s word and while he couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t tired, he knew that Glenn as trying to avoid his question. _Why wouldn’t Glenn answer him?_ Daryl could remember running after Sophia and grabbing her hand, but the rest was a blur to him. Surely if he was alive then so was she.

               “Sophia…” Daryl said once again. He watched as Glenn bit his lip before looking to the other man, which he had called Hershel. When Glenn still didn’t answer him, Daryl could feel his body tightening. “… _Sophia?”_ He asked again.

               Eventually Glenn sighed. “Daryl…Sophia didn’t make it? I’m so sorry but she was bit by a Walker. I think she had covered you in Walker blood so that she and the others wouldn’t smell you. But she had already been bit.” Glenn whispered, fighting back tears and Daryl felt like he was falling. Those words were clear as day in Daryl’s ears, ringing over and over until they became nearly unbearable. His heart hammered in his chest and his eyes burned. _That can’t be true. I – I held her hand. We were running away together!_

               “No…” Daryl moaned.

               “I’m so…I’m sorry.” Glenn choked out, seeing the tears racing down Daryl’s cheek as he worked himself into a panic. He tried to calm the boy down, to keep him from hurting himself but Daryl was only getting more and more worked up by the second. “Rick and I found her but we made sure she didn’t stay – didn’t stay a Walker. She’s safe now, but she’s gone Daryl. She’s gone.” Glenn nearly cried with Daryl as he moaned and hiccuped, trying to deny the death of his friend. _No. She can’t be dead! I saved her! I saved her! You’re lying._ Daryl knew that Glenn would have no reason to lie to him, but everyone else in Daryl’s life lied to him so it was only a matter of time before Glenn would too.

               “No. No.”

               Glenn didn’t even feel Hershel move up next to him until he had grabbed Glenn by the arm. Confused, Glenn tore his gaze away from Daryl to look at Hershel and found him and Maggie staring at him in horror.

               “You _shot_ that little girl?” Hershel’s face looked more furious that horrified.

               “W – what?”

               “You _killed_ that little girl? Is that why she’s dead? Because you shot her?” Maggie swallowed thickly, tears building in her eyes. Glenn opened his mouth to protest when she shook her head in horror and found himself confused. Surely, they must have seen Walkers on their farm?

               “She was bitten? She was a Walker.”

               “No!” Daryl sobbed at Glenn’s words and Glenn tried to move out of Hershel’s grip to soothe Daryl only to be stopped by Hershel.

               “How dare you kill a sick girl.” He hissed and Glenn found when Daryl cried out again.

               _“Sophia…”_

               “She wasn’t sick. She was _dead._ That is no life to live to leave her as a Walker. It’s not fair to her.” Glenn argued hotly and struggled to get out of Hershel’s grip. Beside him, Maggie went to Daryl’s bedside to keep the boy from moving around too much.

               “She was _sick_ not dead. How could you kill an innocent little girl in cold blood?” Hershel demanded and Glenn’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

               “That wasn’t Sophia anymore!” Glenn argued. “We couldn’t let her suffer as a Walker anymore! What is wrong with you?” At this, Hershel’s eyes widened and his grip on Glenn’s arm tightened until it was painful. It was then that he began to drag Glenn out of the room. Glenn started kicking and struggling against Hershel when Daryl looked his way.

               “Glenn! Glenn, no!”

               “Daryl! Daryl!” Glenn yelled and twisted in Hershel’s grip to try and get to Daryl. He was stronger than Hershel on his own and with a few more tries he could break free. There was no way that _anyone_ was going to separate him from Daryl again. Not after he just got him back.

               “Glenn. Glenn. Glenn. No.” Daryl cried out weakly and Glenn’s blood boiled.

               However, in the next second, he was seeing stars as a white hot pain exploded in his chin. It took him a few seconds before he realized that _Maggie_ had punched him square in the jaw. Then she too was dragging him out of the house with Hershel before Glenn could recover. He dimly saw Beth and Patricia standing in shock at the side, but neither made a move to help Glenn. Once they were on the front porch, Maggie all but shoved him down the stairs.

               “Glenn! Glenn!” Glenn scrambled up at the sounds of Daryl’s cries, sounding so broken and so terrified. _He had to keep Daryl safe._

               “Get off my porch boy.” Glenn’s eyes widened when he was suddenly standing in front of the barrel of an old shotgun. Hershel stood firm in the doorway, tight grip on the shotgun, while Maggie’s lip trembled.      

               By now the rest of Glenn’s group had heard the commotion. Rick and Shane were beside Glenn, focused on the shotgun while Lori and Carol hung back with Carl. Dale stood up from his seat on the RV and Andrea and T-Dog were slowly making their way up to Glenn.

               “Whoa, hey now. There isn’t any need for that gun.” Rick was the first to try and deescalate the situation, while Glenn was trying to find a way around Hershel.

               “Why the hell are you pointing that goddamn gun at us? Ain’t you the one who had a no gun rule?” Shane spat, recalling the rule that Hershel had put forth the first day that they had all arrived on the farm.

               “ _Glenn.”_

               “Daryl! Let me in there, right now!” Glenn hissed upon hearing Daryl’s weak cry. Rick’s eyes widened at the noise and Shane growled.

               “Hey! Not another step or my daddy’s going to shoot you right between the eyes.” Maggie warned when Glenn climbed up another step. Glenn snarled at Hershel when the man pointed his gun again at Glenn.

               “You best let him back in to see that little boy.” Shane warned darkly and Rick nodded.

               “Hershel, what’s going on? Glenn is supposed to be with Daryl. Especially if he’s awake.” Rick said softly. “Listen to him. Daryl _wants_ Glenn.”

               “Which one of you was it that shot that sick little girl?” Hershel finally asked. Rick and the others froze at the first mention of Sophia and Glenn felt his blood boil.

               “She wasn’t sick! She was _bit!”_

               “And you killed her!” Maggie yelled back.

               “Hey now. That’s on me. Not Glenn. Glenn did no such thing.” Rick finally stepped between Glenn and Maggie. He found Hershel’s gun aimed for him and Lori cried out in terror. Rick’s heart was pounding but he forced himself to remain calm. “Look none of us wanted this. It’s hard enough as it is that she died, but nobody here killed that little girl in cold blood. She was bit and we had to stop her from suffering.”

               “That little girl was sick. All these people are sick, and they would get better.” Hershel stated shakily. “And you can’t give that little girl that chance to get better because she’s dead.”

               “She was already dead.” Rick tried to explain. “Hershel, these Walkers…they’re not human anymore. They’re not sick. Walkers are people that have died and come back. There is no cure for them, there is no coming back.” Hershel stood his ground firmly against them while Maggie face morphed into one of grief.

               “They’re gone, and they don’t _ever_ come back after being bit.” Glenn warned as his eyes searched for a way into the house. He ignored the sharp hiss from Maggie.

               “Don’t you _ever_ say that.” She said sharply.

               “I want you people off my property.” Hershel finally said and everyone exploded in confusion.

               “Hershel, we can work this out. We’re sorry if it bothers you –”

               “Goddamnit Rick, you’re wasting your breath. These people are delusional.”

               “Please, we have nowhere else to go! This is the safest we’ve been in months.”

               “Daddy you can’t be serious…”

               “Beth, daddy is right. These people need to leave.”

               “Daryl!”

               Glenn’s eyes snapped on Patricia from where he could see her in the house. He watched as she knelt down when there was a particular loud bang from inside the house, and Glenn didn’t care that a shotgun had been aimed at his face not even ten minutes ago.

               He shoved Maggie into Hershel and ignored the shouts from everyone else. Once inside the house, Glenn saw Daryl on the floor of the living room, wearing the thin pajamas that Hershel had given him. His hand was bleeding from where the IV had torn out of him and his skin was a sickly color, coated with sweet.

               Glen knelt down at Daryl’s side and pulled him into his arms before Patricia could even touch him. As if sensing who it was, Daryl pushed his flushed face into Glenn’s chest.

               “Glenn. No. I’m sorry. Sorry.” He mumbled tiredly.

               “Shh, shh.” Glenn felt tears pricking in his eyes, as he was surrounded by Rick, Andrea, Shane and the others. He saw Hershel and Maggie eyeing them from the back but decided to ignore them. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Glenn rubbed up and down Daryl’s arms.

               “’M sorry.” Daryl still mumbled and slowly shifted his head so that he could see everyone around him. His eyes lingered on Rick for a moment, where Rick had ran a hand through his hair.

               “Hi there. It’s good to see you’re awake. You gave us all quite a scare.” Rick smiled weakly, glad to see the boy awake for the first time in a while. He couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped him upon seeing Daryl looking better than he had when they first found him, and cleaner.

               “Sorry.” Daryl mumbled lowly, causing Rick’s smile to fall. Daryl looked away from Daryl to stare at Shane and the others before Rick could protest. When he caught sight of Carol kneeling beside Andrea, fresh tears welled up in his eyes.

               “’M sorry. Sorry. Sorry.” He croaked and Glenn rubbed his arms again. Carol frowned, biting back a look of concern and forcing the tears to stay at bay. Daryl was frightened right now and crying would only upset him even more so than he needed to be.

               “Whatever for, sweetie?” She asked softly and Daryl sniffled.

               “’M sorry, I lived and not Sophia.” Daryl whispered and everyone felt their hearts crack a little more. Daryl sounded so _young_ and so broken.

               “Oh sweetie, no, no.” Carol whispered and reached out to cup Daryl’s cheeks with both of her hands. She then gently wiped a thumb under Daryl’s eyes when a few more tears leaked out. Glenn swallowed painfully and buried his face in Daryl’s hair. _His heart was so big and full of so much pain._

               “Don’t you ever apologize for coming back to us.” Carol said firmly. “I’m am so happy that you are with us now, even if my – my Sophia isn’t. That is not your fault and I am glad you’re alive. Glenn is so happy you’re alive. We _all_ are.”

               “Should be Sophia. Not me.” Daryl simply said and the crack in everyone’s heart grew. Here was a boy with no one to love him, before the world went to hell, and yet his heart had more love in it for everyone else than anyone in the room.

               “No.” Carol said firmly. She forced Daryl to look at her by grabbing his chin. Her expression softened at Daryl’s flinch. “You are _very_ important to me, sweetheart. I’m happy that _you_ are alive. And I want to thank you for trying to keep my Sophia alive. She was in the best hands with you, so thank you.”

               “You are very important to me too.” Glenn finally said and he pulled away from Daryl, who looked at him with confusion. “You mean so much to me, and I couldn’t bear the thought that you might have been dead in that forest. What happened to Sophia isn’t fair and you can cry. You can kick and scream and hate all of us, because that’s okay. But don’t _ever_ think that you don’t deserve to live and be here with us.”

               “You’re a special young man.” Rick smiled and Daryl sniffled. “Not many kids can make a bunch of us grown adult cry like big babies.” The others chuckled and smiled at Rick but Daryl leaned back tiredly against Glenn’s chest. “You belong here with us, Daryl. I’m glad that you’re alive and I’m sad that Sophia died. But don’t think that she would want you to think this way.”

               Daryl remained quiet, unsure of what to say and not used to these types of conversations. Eventually his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. He shifted unconsciously until he was tucked neatly against Glenn’s chest, exhausted after the long day. For a few minutes, the house was quiet as everyone watched the boy sleep, as if afraid that he would disappear if they so much as breathed.

               “This don’t’ change a thing. I want you out as soon as that boy can walk.” Hershel’s voice finally interrupted the silence and Glenn swallowed. This place was safe. For him and everyone here. They were safe. Daryl was safe.

               He didn’t want to leave this place. Not after almost losing Daryl.

               “Hershel, please, we can’t go back on the road –”

               “No. I don’t want you on my property. As soon as the boy can walk, you leave.” Hershel ended the discussion by storming up the stairs. His family looked at the group with looks of guilt, sadness and anger before they joined the man upstairs and the surviving group was left with hearts heavier than ever.

 

* * *

 

               “Are we really leaving?” Daryl asked. After another two days of on and off rest, Daryl was lucid enough to remain awake for longer periods of time. After another day, he could get out of bed with the help of Glenn or Carol. Usually, Daryl tried to move on his own, too embarrassed to be seen needing help. He’d woken up more than a little embarrassed and ashamed by his meltdown and turned back to his old distant ways. Thankfully, Glenn ignored his attempts to push him away and Daryl had allowed him to help.

               Today Daryl had made it to their camp sight, only slightly out of breath. “We shouldn’t jus’ sit around like ducks.”

               “You’d make a cute ducky.” Glenn teased from where he was standing watch on the RV. Daryl rolled his eyes with a grumble as he peeled yet another potato.

               “I’m serious. Has anyone even caught ya’ll a decent meal?” Daryl asked and Glenn frowned. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d had real meat for dinner. Daryl was usually the one who…oh.

               “Eh, soups just as good as squirrel. Better really.” Glenn shrugged before stretching until his back popped. Daryl winced at the noise, making a face that made Glenn snicker.

               “Seriously, are we leaving’? Now that I can walk?” Daryl finally asked. He knew that everyone was enjoying their stay on the farm. They were the safest they’d been since the campsite at first. Daryl admitted that it would be nice not having to be on the run all the time. But he didn’t like the idea of getting too comfortable when there were still Walkers roaming around.

               Glenn sighed heavily when he sat down beside Daryl. “I – I don’t know.”

               “But Hershel said –”

               “I know what Hershel said. But Rick’s trying to change his mind.”

               “I doubt that’ll happen.”

               “Hey don’t be like that.”

               “What? I’m jus’ telling the truth.” Daryl grumbled and continued to peel his potato. Glenn watched him in sad silence before swallowing painfully. He didn’t want to leave and neither did Daryl. “What’s Hershel’s problem anyway? Why’s he so mad…’bout Sophia?”

               Glenn winced. Daryl steered very clear away from the topic of Sophia. He sat at her grave for nearly four hours when he could first get out of the house. He hadn’t cried or let out any hurt for Sophia, like he had the first night he woke up. He’d simply stared at Sophia’s grave before resting the old doll on the cross and demanding to go back inside. After that, any attempts to talk about Sophia were shut down immediately. By now everyone knew not to mention her unless Daryl did.

               “Hershel – Hershel thinks that Walkers are still people, who are sick. He thinks that we killed Sophia.” Glenn tried to explain and Daryl’s frown only deepened.

               “Walkers ain’t people. They’re dead.” Daryl stated while Glenn sighed.

               “We know that. But I guess Hershel doesn’t see it that way.”

               “Why?” Daryl frowned in confusion.

               “I’m not sure. Maybe he lost somebody and he hadn’t dealt with their death as he should. He might be mourning for a loved one and believes that other Walkers can still be saved.” Glenn shrugged.

               “That’s stupid.” Daryl muttered under his breath and frowned shrugged again.

               “It’s how Hershel sees it. Like how you and I see a dead person. Everyone copes differently.” Daryl said and peeled the last of the skin off his potato.

               “Ain’t never been a real problem for us until ya’ll showed up.” Daryl flinched while Glenn jumped to his feet at Maggie’s voice from behind him. Daryl instinctively ducked behind Glenn when they turned around to see Maggie standing beside the RV.

               “M – Maggie.”

               Maggie nodded in Glenn’s direction before looking at Daryl. Daryl could feel his skin itch under her stare but he refused to look weak in front of this stranger. Instead he leveled his own glare at her and stood tall behind Glenn.

               “I came to see how Daryl was feeling?”

               “Jus’ fine.” Daryl bit out. Maggie blinked at him.

               “That’s good to here. Does your leg still hurt?”

               “Nope. It’s all fixed.”

               “That, why you’re favoring the other leg right now?” Maggie asked and Daryl cursed at her before fixing his stance with a wince. Glenn swallowed.

               “He’s doing better. Walking more on his own now. Really only needs my help when he’s tired.” Glenn explained nervously but continued to keep his body in between Daryl and Maggie. Maggie nodded thoughtfully.

               “Daddy says the wound’s not infected so it should continue to get better. And his strength seems to be returning.” Maggie continued.

               Glenn nodded. “Sure is. Soon enough he’ll be swinging that crossbow around like nothing happened.” Glenn smiled down at Daryl who couldn’t help but give Glenn a smile back. Maggie watched the interaction curiously.

               “I also came to say sorry about how my daddy acted the other day. Pulling his gun on you.” Maggie finally turned her gaze back to Glenn with a cautious smile. Glenn swallowed thickly and nodded.

               “Ah yeah, I guess I understand _why_ he acted like he did? I was mad that I was taken away from Daryl when he needed me.” Glenn said and Daryl felt his face flush. Glenn had made him sound like a weak little kid right then.

               “Yeah, that wasn’t very gracious of him. But he’s very protective of his family and farm. We don’t like outsiders on our farm. Even if some are kinda cute.” Maggie said with a small shrug. Daryl’s eyes narrowed.

               “Uh, yeah. I guess that’s normal. You don’t know us, but you could – I mean if you really wanted to, that is. We’re not all bad people really, maybe Shane, but the rest of us are pretty cool.” Glenn stammered, face red and eyes wide. Daryl eyed him from where he stood and then eyed Maggie who was watching Glenn in amusement.

               “Well, maybe your nice officer can convince my daddy to let you stay. Ya’ll aren’t so bad.” Maggie smiled softly before turning away from Glenn and Daryl to head into the house. She gave a little wave back to them and then she was gone. Daryl frowned and scratched the back of his head. However, his chest tightened when Glenn’s eyes watched Maggie all the way until she entered the house.

               He knew that look in his eyes and it made his blood turn to ice.

               The last time he’d seen a man look at a woman like that was his father and his mother.

               And he remembered that eventually the two of them had come to either ignore Daryl completely or beat, and he was terrified of the same happening with Glenn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? Did you all enjoy it? Was it even any good? I felt for poor baby Daryl. That kid needed a big hug from Glenn and instead he got some cuddles when he was hurt. I always enjoy reading your guys' comments and they make me smile as well as motivate me to write! Please tell me your thoughts.
> 
> So I plan to do more chapters of each season and part that happens in TWD cannon line. Which includes the prison, Michonne and much more. I also will do some random timeline chapters that might be a bit shorter, that focuses on an event or idea for the story. If any of you have any ideas of what you might want to see with little Daryl, don't hesitate to tell me in a review and I'll certainly try to write it! Leave me ideas and comments and I'll be very happy!
> 
> It's my last 2 weeks of schools so we're cracking down and it might take me just as long to get out another chapter. Be patient.  
> Thanks and peaceout!


	3. Can't You See How I Hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So finals are done and school's out! What better way to celebrate than with a new chapter featuring our little badass and his favorite sidekick? Hooray for Glenn and Daryl! I hope you're ready for some insecure Daryl and bonding between Daryl and a few members of the group. This chapter still takes place on the farm, but by chapter 4 we should be moving onto the prison! Which means lot's of angst to come!!! I hope you all enjoy!

            Daryl wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about the farm. He was a bit conflicted.

            In the weeks that he had spent there, although for a few days he was pretty out of it, and didn’t really think that counted as “being there,” there hadn’t been a single Walker attack. They hadn’t been running for their lives and everyone had seemed to be letting their guards down.

            Sure there was a few straggler Walkers that came around and Shane made sure they were taken care of away from Hershel. But overall, there hadn’t yet to be an incident since Sophia.

            Daryl wanted to curse at how easily everyone was settling into life on the farm, especially once Rick had managed to convince Hershel at the moment for the very least. Their camp was set up, still outside of the house, despite the weather getting closer to late fall. They hadn’t even needed to _run_ in weeks.

            Daryl never felt safer, nor had he ever felt more afraid.

            This was like the CDC all over again. A safe haven he had once thought of, along with everyone else, and every time he tried to enjoy life on the farm, Daryl couldn’t help but remember their time at the CDC. How he had almost been killed. How Glenn had almost been killed.

            Glenn was another worry for Daryl, though he’d never say that out loud.

            He could tell that he and that farm girl, Maggie were getting closer. Sure, Maggie was probably a pretty girl but girls were gross to Daryl. Even if Merle was always bringing one home and laughing that his baby brother would love a woman one day. Daryl’s nose wrinkled at the thought.

 _Girls were definitely gross in that sense._ He figured that friends were good as girls, like Sophia, but he could _never_ want to kiss Sophia. Daryl missed Sophia.

            Despite getting closer and closer to Maggie when Hershel wasn’t around, Glenn never once forgot about Daryl. Which was strange, considering that once Daryl had been old enough to walk and talk, his own mama had left him to himself and instead chose to nap or smoke a cigarette rather than look at the animal Daryl found in the woods. At least she never beat Daryl.

            In fact, Glenn was closer to Daryl’s side more than ever. Daryl figured it had to do with his embarrassing meltdown after being found and the death of Sophia, and for a while he humored Glenn and stayed close to him. The two even shared a tent after the first night that Daryl was allowed out of the house and back at camp. They used Daryl’s old tent but set up Glenn’s in case anyone wanted to use it. Daryl’s tent was large, enough to fit Daryl and Merle once before and gave him and Glenn plenty of space to sleep, relax or hang out.

            Daryl appreciated Glenn’s hovering for a while and was glad that _someone_ had worried about him. He’d been afraid that he would never get to see Glenn again when he was out with Sophia. He worried that Glenn would never find them and Daryl would die without saying goodbye to the _only_ damn person who had cared about him at all. Thankfully, Glenn had found him and stuck by him even when he was chasing after Maggie.

            However, eventually Daryl got bored of being restricted to camp and hovered over by Glenn, especially when he knew that Glenn would rather be on a run or out following _Maggie._ Daryl hated when Glenn spaced out thinking about Maggie. Sometimes he wished that Glenn would just follow her so that he could be left alone in peace.

            The day that Daryl had decided he needed to go hunting in the woods, the entire camp was in an uproar.

            “Absolutely not.” Was the first thing out of Rick Grimes mouth, closely followed with Glenn’s statement.

            “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

            “You ain’t my daddy.” Daryl glared at Rick, already slinging the crossbow over his shoulder. Then he turned to Glenn in confusion. “And why not, you and _Maggie_ go on runs to town all alone, all the time.”

            “Exactly, it’s me and Maggie.” Glenn swallowed nervously. His eyes darted between Daryl and the tree line to the forest. Daryl’s eyes narrowed.

            “Besides, Maggie and Glenn are adults. I hate to break it to you, but you’re the _youngest_ one here.” Rick added softly, noticing how Daryl’s entire body tensed. Sometimes even _Rick_ forgot that Daryl was the youngest member of their group. He so rarely acted younger than Carl and he tended to think more like an adult than a nine-year-old.

            “So. I went huntin’ all the time for camp.” Daryl argued hotly and crossed his arms over his chest. “’Sides, looks like none of y’all can hunt. Bet you’ve been eating nothing but beans and grass since I haven’t hunted.” He glared at the other members of their group, who were all looking over their lunches to stare at him. Quickly they all went back to eating and Daryl snarled to himself.

            “Yes…”

            “I can get us some meat. You can’t stop me.” Daryl said. Glenn shifted on his feet and bit his lip. He didn’t’ want to upset Daryl further but the last thing Glenn wanted was for Daryl to leave camp _alone._ He couldn’t help but worry about Daryl not returning and being dead for good.] 

            “Daryl. You just finished healing. You might strain yourself.” Glenn tried to argue but was silenced by Daryl’s snort.

            “I ain’t gonna hurt with some squirrels. I promise.” Daryl’s eyes softened for a split second when he looked at Glenn, and judged the man’s worry. “’Sides, ain’t like any of you know how to hunt, do you?”

            “Kid’s got a point.” Rick, Glenn and Daryl both turned to face Shane when the man had finally spoken up. Rick and Glenn had identical looks of disbelief while Daryl eyed Shane suspiciously. Ever since the CDC, there had been something off about Shane. Especially around Rick.

            Shane was more volatile and less organized now. His temper was often like a teetering seesaw and Daryl couldn’t keep up with when Shane would explode or not. His story about Otis had been suspicious and Daryl could put two and two together, especially after Shane had claimed that he would do _anything_ for Lori and Carl.

            Shane was somebody to watch and Daryl didn’t trust him one bit. Not even when Rick did.

            “Are you seriously saying, you’d let him go into the forest _alone?_ Do you not remember what happened to him?” Glenn hissed darkly. Glenn was wary of Shane and was probably more afraid of Shane than Daryl was, but at least he too didn’t trust him.

            “That was different. He was running. This time, he’s hunting.” Shane shrugged, completely ignoring the glares sent his way. Instead his beady eyes settled on Daryl with a grim line set over his lips. “He _is_ the only one who knows how to hunt and we need some sort of meat to supply. I don’t see any harm in it.

            “Any harm? Shane, we’re talking about sending a _nine-year-old_ into the forest. Alone.” Rick spoke before Glenn could open his mouth. Daryl frowned at the tone in Rick’s voice. He didn’t like that.

            “He’s done it before. Back at our camp. Used to bring home deer sometimes too.” Shane explained while Rick’s jaw dropped. Glenn’s eyes softened in realization and his throat tightened.

            “Alone?” Rick asked.

            “More or less. Sometimes Merle went with him or Glenn.” Shane said, causing Rick’s eyes to narrow.

            “Then how come Glenn doesn’t know how to hunt? Can’t he go with someone?” Daryl huffed at the words from Rick’s mouth and he rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered about Rick’s mental state, even with how nice he was.

            “Glenn’s awful at tracking. He’s too clumsy. He’s a better runner and scavenger.” Daryl admitted, causing Glenn to morph between feeling sheepish and feeling proud. That was about as close to a compliment as Glenn was going to get rom Daryl and he would take it. Insult added or not. “He was there to help with bigger game, but I ain’t gonna look for that.”

            “I can go with him.” Daryl blinked when T-Dog found a place beside Glenn and him. That was something else that had shocked Daryl after waking up. The first words that T-Dog had said to Daryl, when he was coherent enough for visitors was, “Thank you.”

            T-Dog had thanked Daryl for saving his life and for trying to keep Sophia safe. He’d called Daryl a _good_ man and appreciated all that Daryl had done for them. It had been a shock hearing the thanks and the gratitude from someone like T-Dog, who often avoided him due to Merle. A reassured look from Glenn had sent Daryl into a spluttering mess. He’d simply waved T-Dog off and told him to forget about it, it’s what anyone would have done.

            Though, both he and T-Dog knew that to be a lie.

            Not everyone would try to save a life in this world.

            “T-Dog, seriously?” Glenn could help but sigh in exasperation and Daryl snorted. He’d take T-Dog any day if it meant that he could _go._

            “What? I’m not terrible. I can stay out of the kid’s way and then he can get off the farm.” T-Dog shrugged, earning an amused smirk from Daryl. Daryl didn’t necessarily like the man but he was slowly getting more and more on Daryl’s good side. If he kept it up, _maybe_ Daryl could enjoy his company.

            “Look, Glenn, I know you’re worried.” T-Dog finally sighed when Glenn’s shoulders slumped dramatically. “I get it. You and Daryl are close and I saw how much it hurt you to see Daryl hurt.” Daryl found his eyes averting to the ground as a lump settled in his stomach. He hadn’t been quite aware during his time of pain, but the others had told Daryl enough about how Glenn had lost sleep, had lost weight and refused to leave Daryl’s side until he was well enough. He couldn’t help but feel guilty that Glenn would neglect himself for someone who didn’t mean nothing, like Daryl.

            It was confusing and while it made Daryl’s stomach churn with guilt, his heart would flutter lightly at the thought of Glenn worrying for him.

            “Daryl is better now. Just like Carl and I bet he’s probably itching to do _something_. You know he didn’t stick around in one place for too long at our old camp.” –Dog continued to reason with Glenn, watching as Glenn’s bottom stuck out more and more like a pout. He had a feeling that Glenn knew this was a lost fight. “And Rick, you weren’t there but Daryl ain’t like Sophia or Carl. He likes to do stuff and he really was the one to catch us dinner. With me at his side, hopefully we can eat something other than expired green beans.”

            Rick still looked conflicted at letting Daryl go out on his own and his own gaze lingered on Daryl before moving towards Carl who was helping his mother out.

            “I won’t bring Carl or nothin’.” Daryl finally spoke up much to Rick’s surprise. The ex-Sheriff blinked down at Daryl who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

            “’F it’s Carl you’re worried ‘bout, I won’t bring him. He’ll stay on the farm ‘cause he’s your kid. I promise.” Daryl fidgeted nervously under Rick’s stare and Glenn swallowed.

            “Oh.” Rick blinked again in sudden realization. “Oh, Daryl no. I know you would never take Carl out without asking Lori and I, I’m not worried about that.” Rick probably didn’t even realize how much his words meant to Daryl but Daryl wasn’t about to tell the man that he was shocked Rick _trusted_ Daryl with his son. He _trusted_ Daryl.

            “I’m more worried that Carl’s going to see you leaving and want to go too. I don’t think Lori would be too happy about that.” Rick admitted with a sheepish smile. Daryl couldn’t help but sort with a roll of his eyes, causing Glenn to snicker fondly.

            “Then go get him to chop wood with Glenn. He’ll be distracted and I can leave. Wanna get back before the sun goes down.” Daryl said quickly. Eventually, after a long and sufferable silence, Rick and Glenn found themselves nodding in defeat.

            There was no changing a red neck’s mind. Even that of a child.

            “Fine. But you’re back _before_ sundown. I don’t _ever_ want you out after dark again and please take someone with you every time. Even if it’s me and I have to hide in a bush.” Glenn sighed, smiling at the wide grin that Daryl sent his way. “And you _always_ tell one of us when you’re leaving, deal?”

            Daryl pretended to think it over before he grinned again. “Deal! Now, you better go find Maggie, sure she’s around here somewhere.” Before giving Glenn a chance to answer, Daryl had spun on his heels and stomped through the tree line. T-Dog followed after close, once he had tucked a gun and knife into his belt.

            Glenn blinked in surprise at Rick.

            “What was that all about?” Glenn asked. Rick simply shook his head when Glenn’s eyes immediately sought out Maggie from across the farm. If Glenn couldn’t figure it out then it wasn’t Rick’s place to tell him.

 

* * *

 

            Glenn and Maggie only got closer every time they went on a run.

            Glenn was spending more and more of his time with Maggie, around the farm, in the house or on runs with her (runs that Daryl was never allowed to go on). And they only got closer when Maggie and Glenn came home from a particular run with Maggie shouting at Lori and Glenn, before Glenn pulling her aside.

            Worried that his friend was going to get hurt, Daryl had snuck off after Glenn and Maggie, ready to jump Maggie if she hurt Glenn. However, he was more than a little surprised when Maggie had grabbed Glenn’s face and kissed him desperately.           

            And Glenn was kissing back.

            Daryl knew why his stomach churned at the sight of their kiss, especially when they broke away and admitted that they wanted _nothing_ to happen to each other. Suddenly Glenn was struck with such a pain in his chest, that it left him breathless.

            He remembered Glenn telling him that once. About how much he had cared for Daryl and wanted nothing to happen to him, and now he was telling Maggie that _same_ thing. He was telling Maggie that he loved her. Daryl suddenly couldn’t breathe.

            _Did Glenn tell everyone this? Did he tell everyone the same line over and over? Did Glenn even care about him?_

            Before Glenn and Maggie had a chance to turn around and spot Daryl, who would deny that he had tears in his eyes, Daryl bolted away from them. He didn’t know where he was going but he knew that he had to get away. Far, far away.

            Daryl wondered if he should just run away. It wasn’t like anyone would be looking for him. Daryl nearly doubled over at the idea that Glenn probably wouldn’t notice if Daryl had left. He couldn’t understand why his chest hurt so much and why there were stupid tears running down his face.

_“You’re nothing but a goddamn pussy, crying like that. Man up and shut the fuck up.”_

            Daryl flinched at Merle’s words in his ears and eventually he collapsed against a tree trunk. Daryl curled in on himself as tight as he could go and ignored the world around him. He ignored the fact that he could be in danger, he ignored the sounds of the members of their camp moving around.

            Daryl wished he could stop crying but for some reason he couldn’t and he was mortified.

            _“What would daddy say about your sorry ass now, Darlena?”_ Merle laughed in his ears and Daryl squeezed his eyes shut. He hiccupped silently, glad that at least he wasn’t crying _loudly._

            His fingers brushed against something soft and cold in the ground and finally Daryl looked up. He blinked back tears when his fingers ran over a small white flower that was growing in a bush beside the tree stump. He swallowed thickly and ran his fingers over the soft petals of the flower and admired the beauty in this flower, growing in such a dead and destructive world. Despite the Walkers and so much _death,_ here were signs of life and beauty growing right beneath Daryl’s finger tips.

            He didn’t know how long he stayed and toyed with the plant under his fingers, but he snapped his head up when leaves crunched under boots beside him. For a split second, Daryl feared it was a Walker and there would be no way for him to fight it off, not without any weapon on him.

            However, he was dumbfounded to find _Carol_ was beginning to kneel beside him. He tried to ignore her in hopes that she would go away and leave him alone. Daryl hadn’t had much contact with Carol since Sophia’s death and while she never said it out loud, Daryl was terrified that she _blamed_ him for her daughter’s death.

            After all, why did Sophia have to die when he didn’t?

            Although, Carol didn’t seem to want to go away, even with Daryl trying very hard to ignore him. She didn’t try to speak to him nor did she point out the obvious tear-tracks on Daryl’s face.

            Eventually, after what felt like hours, Carol spoke.

            “The Cherokee-Rose.”

            Daryl blinked in confusion, finally turning to face the woman. Carol didn’t look over at Daryl but instead kept her gaze on a large white flower in her hand. She twirled it around a few times, the same flower that Daryl had seen.

            “What?” Daryl finally croaked. He was thankful when Carol didn’t look up at the crack in his voice.

            “The Cherokee-Rose. It only blooms at certain times of the year. They were Sophia’s favorite.” Carol smiled softly while Daryl swallowed. “I remember we used to drive for almost four hours, just to get to certain spots in the summer time in order to pick a whole bunch of them. Then, Sophia would make a little book out of them and mark them for every year we went. We didn’t get to go this year, of course, but I’m glad they’re still blooming despite everything.”

            Daryl didn’t know what to say.

            Carol understood. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they. And they last a while. I’m surprised they’re so close to the city though. We used to drive out far just to find them.” Carol continued quietly as she ran her hands along the petals. She and Daryl fell into a small silence, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before.

            “Maybe…maybe they’s blooming for yer little girl. For Sophia.” Daryl wanted to take back the words as soon as they said them, especially when Carol stopped twirling the flower. Slowly, she turned to face Daryl and Daryl nearly cried again at the raw look of surprise on Carol’s face.

            “I…I think she would like that.” Carol finally said, much to Daryl’s surprise. Daryl was sure he had bitten through is tongue by now and kept his mouth shut. “Maybe…maybe Sophia is the one blooming them.”

            Daryl’s throat felt dry but he spoke. “To let us know it’ll be okay?”

            Finally, Carol smiled and Daryl felt unworthy. He didn’t deserve a smile so warm and so full of love, despite the tears on her face. He didn’t deserve the smile of a mother. “Yeah. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will be.” The two sat in another comfortable silence, while Carol moved to pick the flowers around them, and eventually Daryl picked one from the bush.

            “I’m sorry she’s gone.” He whispered. To her credit, Carol didn’t even hesitate in pick flowers.

            “Me too. But I’d rather she be gone, than stay as one of _them.”_ Daryl and Carol both knew what Carol was referring to without her clarifying but no one spoke up. “Are you and Glenn okay?”

            Daryl blinked and looked at Carol who was already arranging the flowers into a bouquet.

            “Yes.” Daryl lied easily.

            “Is that why you’re out here crying?” Carol didn’t pause.

            “I wasn’t crying!” Daryl’s face began to heat up and he was mortified that she knew. He frowned when Carol turned to look at him firmly.

            “You were and there ain’t any reason to be ashamed about crying young man.” Carol said, hands on her hip and instantly Daryl looked down at his knees. “There ain’t nothing wrong with crying and we all do.”

            “Crying weak.” Daryl murmured and Carol sighed.

            “I’ve been crying every day since the dead starting walking, now are you calling me weak?”

            “No!” Daryl cried too quickly and scrambled on his hands and knees. Quickly, Carol straightened him to keep him from falling and grabbed his shoulder. Daryl flinched at the touch and ducked his head down. With a softer expression, Carol grabbed Daryl’s chin so he could look up at her.

            “There’s nothing weak about crying Daryl, especially when you’re scared and upset.” Carol whispered and she saw Daryl’s blue eyes beginning to fill with tears. “I don’t care what that brother of yours told you, it’s okay to cry. And if you want a place to cry where no one can see you, then you’re always welcome in my tent.”

            The tears began to drip down Daryl’s face, even with Daryl’s best efforts trying to keep them from falling. Eventually, Daryl couldn’t hold it back anymore and his body slumped before he buried his face into Carol’s neck and the young boy began to cry. With motherly instincts, Carol had already cradled Daryl in her arms and was rubbing his back soothingly.

            Daryl cried for his brother.

            He cried for being stuck in a dark world with Walkers.

            He cried for all the pain his mama and his papa caused him.

            He cried for the fear of losing Glenn, the one person that cared about him

            And Daryl cried for himself.

            Carol wasn’t sure how long she let Daryl cry into her arms, but by the time that he had stopped, Carol knew that Daryl needed to cry more than just this one time, but she wasn’t going to push the boy. It was a miracle he even started crying now, in front of her. Who knew if he’d do that again?

            “There we go, now you wanna tell me what’s bothering you, Pookie?” Carol asked softly, pulling Daryl back so that she could wipe at his face. Daryl’s nose wrinkled at the nickname and at the unfamiliar gesture of Carol cleaning his face. He simply shrugged at Carol. “C’mon now, don’t be like that. I thought you and I were making progress?”

            Daryl twiddled with the dirty hems of his shirt and Carol patiently waited for him to speak.

            “I’m scared.” Daryl finally admitted, barely above a whisper.

            “Of what?” Carol had a feeling that it wasn’t Walkers that Daryl was scared of anymore.

            “…Glenn likes Maggie. Like, _really likes_ her.” Daryl said quietly. Carol nodded, quickly understanding where this conversation was going.

            “And? Of course he does, Maggie is a nice woman and around Glenn’s age. People fall in love all the time honey.” _Although, it’s not always a good kind of love._

            “Yeah and then they forget about everyone else.” Daryl muttered under his breath.

            Carol sighed softly. “Daryl. Pookie. Are you afraid that Glenn is going to forget about you if he and Maggie get together?”

            Daryl shrugged again. “That’s what my daddy did and my mama. Never had time for me. And Glenn’s _always_ with her. Never talks to me no more.”

            “And you miss him.”

            “He’s not dead. Or missing, like Merle.” Carol flinched at the mention of the violent other red neck and she swallowed. Of course Daryl wasn’t about to forget about this brother, his family after everything they’ve been through.

            “Yeah, but it feels like he’s gone, because he’s not around you anymore.” Carol said quietly and Daryl kept his mouth shut. Carol was right but he didn’t want her to know that. “Pookie, Glenn will never forget about you. He loves you too much and he will always be there for you.”

            “He loves Maggie.” Daryl said bitterly and Carol smiled softly.

            “Yes. Glenn is allowed to love more than one person. And it’s a different kind of love.” Carol explained, watching as Daryl looked around with guilt. She hadn’t meant to make the boy feel bad. He was probably starved of any type of love, affection or touch so of course he was going to be jealous of sharing the one person in camp who meant a lot to him.

            “I know. I – I shouldn’t be upset. Glenn’s allowed to hang out with who he wants.” Daryl swallowed thickly.

            “Just as you are. You and I can be friends too, just like them, if you want?” Daryl’s eyes widened and his jaw nearly dropped when he looked over at Carol. Instead of finding any sort of mistrust or laughter in Carol’s face, he could find nothing but sincerity and _love._

            “Okay.” Daryl finally said. The smile that Carol sent his way still made his stomach churn, but in a good way this time. She stood up, grabbing the bundle of flowers and held out her hand. For a moment, Daryl was unsure of what to do before he blinked. When he finally grabbed her hand, Carol did not let go and continued to hold it as they made their way back.

            “If it’s really bothering you, then you should talk with Glenn. He’ll understand.” Carol said softly but Daryl decided to keep quiet. “Let’s go put these on Sophia’s grave. I bet she’ll like that.”

            Daryl couldn’t help but smile.

 

* * *

 

            Glenn was worried about Daryl.

            Ever since Glenn and Maggie had come back on the run where Maggie was attacked by a Walker, Daryl had been distancing himself from Glenn. Glenn would be lying if he didn’t admit that it hurt every time Daryl went to Carol now instead of him when he was sad, or when he sat by Rick and Carl at dinner rather than him. Sure, it left room for Maggie to sit by him and Glenn was falling more and more in love with this farm girl but he missed his boy.

            _God, he was calling Daryl “his” now. How pathetic._

            At first, Glenn had tried to give Daryl space, thinking he was still upset about Sophia and everything. He knew that the kid would need space especially as he grew up, but he never thought Daryl would _avoid_ him.

            Then Glenn tried to actively join Daryl on hunts, however, more often than not Glenn was forced to go on a run instead of a hunt with Maggie. After a few times of canceling on Daryl, Daryl finally told Glenn to stop asking him because T-Dog was great at helping. Glenn’s heart broke when that spark died in Daryl’s eyes after the fourth time Glenn canceled on him and said that Glenn would probably be useless anyway.

            Then Glenn tried to talk to everyone else about Daryl. However, most people didn’t want to hear it. Lori instead busied herself with Carl and Andrea was more annoyed that they weren’t out shooting targets. Shane couldn’t care less, Dale didn’t know what was up and Rick and Carol both seemed to know what was going on with Daryl but they both refused to help Glenn.

            “If you can’t figure it out, it ain’t our business.” Rick had simply shrugged. “It’s nothing bad but you should probably pay more attention.” Then he left Glenn flabbergasted as he chopped wood.

            “Ask Daryl.” Was all that Carol had to offer.

            But Glenn was afraid. He knew that Daryl wasn’t a big talker and still had a lot of issues trying to express himself, even to Glenn, and Glenn was worried that Daryl would merely shut down and not speak again. He’d rather Daryl stay mad than silent.

            Silence with Daryl was terrifying.

            At dinner that night, Glenn saw Daryl was still quiet around him but he had no problems talking to Carl about why a squirrel was a better source of food than a rabbit. Carl was vehemently arguing against Daryl in good nature while Rick rolled his eyes.

            Glenn blinked distractedly, when he felt something tap against his leg. He looked over to see Maggie giving him a small smirk, one that made his chest tight and his knees weak before she slipped a piece of paper into his hands. Then she was talking to Beth and eating her dinner like nothing had happened.

            Glenn spared a glance at Hershel and the others, glad that the older man had agreed to let them stay on their property through the winter, as the temperatures continued to drop. The thought reminded Glenn to give Daryl his old winter coat, since it was getting cold and he knew Daryl was still cold in his sleeping bag and blankets at night.

            Glenn then looked down at the slip of paper in his hands and couldn’t help but smile.

            _Tonight again? Where?_

            Glenn grinned mostly to himself, unaware of Daryl looking right at him this time, before writing down his own response and slipping it on Maggie’s leg.

            Hopefully tonight would be better than before.

 

* * *

 

            Glenn whistled happily as he lugged a blanket and several pillows into the top of the barn. He thought it to be strange that the front was heavily locked but decided that there were probably animals that needed to stay _locked_ in. He climbed the latter and throw the blankets and pillow into the hay above before stepping inside.

            Glenn could just picture a romantic night together, underneath the moonlight, creeping in the open window. With soft hay on the ground, moans in the air and the smell of dead flesh in his nose – wait.

            Dead flesh?

            Glenn almost gagged at the overwhelming smell that assaulted his nose once he entered the farm. He nearly threw up out the window and his heart began to race. He recognized the stench to be human, not animal. There were dead humans in the barn. He prayed that his assumptions were wrong, but when he heard an overwhelming amount of moans coming from below him, Glenn swallowed before peaking over the second floor.

            To his horror, there were dozens of Walkers beneath him, locked inside the barn.

            Clearly someone had taken the time to lock Walkers in the barn.

            Barely a hundred yards away from where camp was.

            From where Maggie lived.

            From where Daryl was safe.

            Glenn spun around when he heard someone step onto the ledge beside him and the shout died in his throat when he saw Daryl entering the bar. Immediately, Daryl clamped both hands over his mouth and his eyes locked onto Glenn’s. Glenn swallowed thickly when Daryl fearfully looked over the ledge and saw the Walkers. Jumping back, Daryl nearly fell through the hole where the ladder was, and before Glenn could catch him, he feel back into Maggie’s awaiting arms.

            The terrified look in her eyes told Glenn that she had _known_ about the Walkers in the barn. All along.

            “Maggie…” Glenn didn’t even know where to begin; what to say. _How do you confront the person you’ve fallen in love with about how they are keeping Walkers locked up in a barn._ The words died on Glenn’s tongue and he watched as Daryl scrambled out of Maggie’s grip. His chest heaved suddenly and Glenn was the only one that recognized that Daryl was beginning to panic.

            “You weren’t supposed to see this.” Maggie whispered and Glenn felt his stomach drop. _That’s all she had to say?_

            “You’re keeping _Walkers_ in the barn?!” Daryl finally shouted. Glenn jumped in surprise and Maggie nervously looked back at the house. It seemed like nobody could hear them and she looked relieved. When she took a step closer to Daryl with arm raised, Daryl immediately flinched and stepped backwards. Towards the edge of the platform.

            Right above the Walkers, who by now had heard them and were directly underneath them, trying to reach them. Glenn’s heart was hammering in his chest at how close Daryl was to the edge and to falling into the grips of these bloodthirsty Walkers.

            “Hush now, there ain’t any reason to yell so loud.”

            “You’re keeping _goddamn Walkers_ in your barn! How the hell should I react?” Daryl hissed, eyes blown wide with fear. Without even thinking, Glenn had moved so that he was at Daryl’s side and placed a comforting hand on the boy’s back. Daryl flinched at the touch but relaxed once he realized it was only Glenn, and for a moment Glenn felt like things were as they used to be with Daryl. He positioned himself behind Daryl so that he would reach the edge first, and tried to usher Daryl forward.

            Maggie was surprised at the language coming from the nine-year-old’s mouth and could only gawk at him. Glenn managed a weak smile at the sight, but the Walkers’ moans grew louder and louder and volume and Glenn couldn’t help but push Daryl towards the ladder.

            Silently, the three climbed down the ladder and out the barn. No one dared to speak up until they were halfway between the barn and the house. Eventually, Daryl had ripped his arm from Glenn’s grip and turned to face Maggie, with one of the most terrifying looks Glenn had ever seen on him. His entire body was shaking and his eyes were blazing.

            “What _the hell_ was that?” Daryl spat. Maggie’s eyes widened before they narrowed sharply.

            “That wasn’t any of your business boy. Now you keep your mouth shut and run along.” Maggie warned, much to Glenn’s shock. While Glenn remained silent, Daryl was fuming and not backing down. He’d dealt with bullies all his life, and right now he saw no difference from them and _Maggie._

            She was a threat. To him, his camp and Glenn.

            “No. No way. You tell me why the hell there’s Walkers in that damn barn, so _close_ to our camp!” Daryl hissed and crossed his arms over his chest. Maggie followed in a similar fashion, and if the situation hadn’t been so scary, Glenn would have found it humorous.

            “No, you stay out of this –”

            “No Maggie. He deserves to know. Me too.” Glenn finally spoke up, shocking not only Maggie but Daryl too. Daryl’s body lost some of its tension and Glenn felt Daryl shift closer to his own body. He couldn’t help but place a comforting hand on Daryl’s shoulder. “It’s not fair to keep this kind of a secret from us. _Walkers?”_

            “Stop calling them that.” Maggie finally managed through gritted teeth. Daryl snorted with a roll of his eyes and Glenn sighed. He wished situations like this didn’t have to be so hard.

            “What else do you want us to call them? Monsters? The dead? Biters?” Daryl snorted causing Maggie to clench her hands into fists.

            “I call them _family.”_ Maggie finally spat out, causing Daryl to jump back. “I call them my mom, my step-brother, the grocer, our neighbors.” Daryl swallowed thickly and Glenn felt exhaustion creeping into his bones as the adrenaline wore off.

            “Maggie…”

            “They’re people Glenn. People I _love_. People I know.” Maggie choked out, turning away so Glenn and Daryl couldn’t see her crying. “And – and one day there’ll be a cure so we had to keep them safe. Daddy says we can save them.”

            “You really believe that shit?” Daryl hissed and Glenn tightened his grip on his shoulder to keep him from saying anything else. Daryl growled in annoyance but thankfully kept quiet.

            “Course I do. I have faith.”

            Glenn knew that Daryl wanted to say something but he kept his mouth shut and instead rolled his eyes. Glenn was sure that Daryl was the first person to know how little faith could mean to a person, unfortunately and it broke Glenn’s heart to know that the boy had lost so much faith at such a young age, and it wasn’t because of the Walkers.

            “Maggie. I get why you guys are doing this, but it’s not safe. You know they’re dead and you know how dangerous Walkers can be. Especially if they escape. You remember the Walker at the pharmacy?” Glenn watched when Maggie averted her gaze but he knew that she remembered. Neither of them could forget how close Maggie had been to being bit and becoming one of them. And the thought made Glenn’s heart ache.

            But the thought of a Walker breaking free and _biting Daryl_ made Glenn’s heart hurt.

            “You can’t tell anybody.” Glenn and Daryl both snapped their heads up to stare at Maggie with identical looks of horror. However, the look on Maggie’s face was completely serious.

            “Maggie, you can’t say that.”

            “I’m serious Glenn. You can’t tell _anyone_ or Daddy will kick you off the farm and I won’t stop him.” Maggie continued firmly, despite the pain in her heart at letting Glenn go. “Promise me you won’t say a word?”

            “No!” Daryl had shouted before Glenn even had a chance to think over the offer. _God was he really considering keeping this a secret?_

            Glenn and Maggie both stared at Glenn. Daryl immediately sought out Glenn’s face but at the confused expression on his face, Daryl stepped away from them both.

            “Are you really considering this? Are you really going to keep them Walkers a secret from the group?!” Daryl practically shouted, jumping back when Maggie and Glenn moved to quiet him.

            “Daryl, no I don’t…”

            “How could you keep this a secret?! No way!” Daryl continued to shout darkly. By now the porch light to the house had turned on and Rick and Hershel had stepped onto the porch. Daryl kept his mouth shut at Glenn’s look but he glared darkly at _both_ of them.

            “Promise me, you won’t say a word.” Maggie whispered to Glenn. Glenn swallowed thickly, ignored the oozing disappointment and fury coming from Daryl.

            “No way. I’m telling _everybody.”_ Daryl finally spat out, causing Maggie to turn to him out of fear. Glenn’s mouth dropped at Daryl’s bold move. Daryl was standing tall, despite his small stature with fists at his sides and jaw clenched. Glenn could see pools of tears building in his eyes but never once did any of them fall.

            “Keep her secret. Whatever. I don’t care. It’s only ‘cause yer _fucking_ her.” Glenn and Maggie both recoiled at the insult. “I don’t care. But if you won’t tell anyone then I will.” With that Daryl shoved past both Glenn and Maggie, storming to the house and ignoring both Rick and Hershel.

            Maggie shared one last look at Glenn before following after to pull her father back into the house, leaving Glenn standing alone on the lawn. The only thought that came to Glenn’s mind was the look of betrayal in Daryl’s eyes.

            _What had he done?_

 

* * *

 

            Daryl hadn’t felt this betrayed since Merle had left him to rot with his daddy when he was only five-years-old, and even then it hadn’t stung as much as Glenn choosing Maggie over _him._ He hadn’t realized it could _hurt this much, and why couldn’t someone make it stop?_ Daryl hadn’t come to realize how much that Glenn had meant to Daryl until in the moment that he chose to keep Maggie’s safety rather than ensure the group’s safety. The betrayal had hit Daryl lower than ever and he found himself taking Merle’s old tent and setting it up far away from everyone.

            Far away from the barn.

            Rick and Carol had noticed immediately and Glenn. Glenn had tried to plead with Daryl to come back and that he was sorry, but everyone was confused on what because _Glenn wouldn’t even say out loud for what he was sorry for._ That had been the last straw.

            “Get away from me and don’t never come near me again, you fucking chink.” Daryl had spat when Glenn tried to grab him to come back to camp for his “safety.” Everyone had been startled at that, even Shane. Daryl hadn’t _ever_ called Glenn such a name, even when Merle was still with them. That was the biggest difference between the two brothers.

            “Daryl…”

            “Daryl, what is that about?” Carol shook her head in disappointment and Daryl felt acid on his tongue. Rick stared hard at Daryl, causing the boy to squirm under his gaze and scratch at the back of his arms. Carol moved to hug Daryl but Daryl shook his head and stepped back.

            “No. I don’t need anyone babying me. Not a bunch of liars and idiots.” Daryl hissed, thankful that his voice hadn’t once cracked despite feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest and thrown to the ground. He couldn’t bear to look at Glenn’s hurt face or the looks of disappointment on Rick and Carol’s faces. “Yer all in danger anyway.” Daryl was keeping his promise and if Glenn didn’t speak up by the next day, then Daryl would be the one to tell _everyone._ He dared a pointed look at Glenn who averted his gaze. “Sitting around like stupid people, and letting your guards down.”

            Daryl shook his head, unwilling to look at anyone else before he stormed off towards _his_ camp and locked himself in his tent. The boy held his breath, curled up in the smallest ball that he could form and scratched at his bare arms. He could hear Rick, Glenn and Carol all talking with one another and it felt like forever before they finally walked away from Daryl. Daryl was only momentarily disappointed that _no one_ tried harder to fight for him.

            _“That’s ‘cause anin’t nobody going to ever love you ‘sides me baby brother.”_

            Daryl buried his face in his arms, still picking at his arms and felt a sob building in his chest. He had never felt so alone.

            Glenn was at a loss of what to do.

            He had _destroyed_ Daryl’s trust. The one thing that Glenn, and Glenn alone, had earned and worked hard for. And he had had destroyed it without a second thought. On top of that, Glenn was putting his entire camp – his family – in danger. Glenn was at a loss.

            He wanted Daryl to come back, back where he could keep him safe and hold him again. The hardened expression in Daryl’s face, the coldness in his voice and the specific hurtful words were an obvious mask from his brother, used to cope. Daryl didn’t know any other way to cope and he was hurting now more than ever.

            _What had he done?_

            Every time Glenn wanted to tell everyone about the Walkers in the barn, his breath caught in his throat when Maggie would look his way.

            Every time that Glenn tried to talk to Maggie about the barn, she’d shut it down so fast with anger or sex that it left Glenn’s head spinning.

            “Maggie, we need to talk about this.” Glenn begged as he followed Maggie around in her morning chores. Lately she had decided to simply ignore him and while Glenn was angry about the deadly secret she had kept from him, there was no denying that she was becoming someone that _meant_ something more to Glenn than occasional apocalyptic sex. “Maggie, please. Maggie just listen. Maggie. Please.”

            “What?” Maggie finally answered him, more out of annoyance than acceptance.

            “Maggie, you can’t ask me to keep this secret. Please. We have to tell them. They could be in danger. _Daryl_ could be in danger.” Glenn begged quietly while Maggie kept her firm, cold gaze on him. “I get that they’re your family and this is hard, but you’re putting my family in danger. You’re putting Daryl in danger.”         

            “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut.” Maggie hissed and turned to grab the basket of eggs. “You mean a lot to me Glenn, and I don’t want to see my Daddy make you leave.”

            “Maybe he won’t. If we can show him how dangerous these Walkers can be. Maggie you _know._ Please, don’t put Daryl in danger, especially if he does tell.” Glenn whispered hoarsely, unable to bear the thought of Daryl being forced to live on his own.

            “What’s it with you and that kid? He obviously ain’t yours.” Maggie asked.

            “But he _is.”_ It was the first time that Glenn had said this out loud, despite the countless nights he spent thinking about how much Daryl had come to mean to him in his life now. If there was one thing he was thankful of these Walkers, was that without them he never would have met Daryl or helped him. “Maggie, Daryl is important to me. He’s my _family_ and you’re putting him in danger.”

            “I haven’t done anything. They are safe and locked in the barn.” Maggie defended quietly.

            “Maggie you know that barn won’t hold them forever. Please. I can’t live with myself if anything happened to Daryl or you. I love him like my family and I _love_ you. Please.” Glenn knew if he were on his knees that he would practically look like a pathetic beggar compared to her, but if that was what it took to get Maggie to see his reasoning than damn, he would beg.

            However, Maggie’s expression only softened. “Glenn, I’ve come to love you too but don’t make me chose.” With that she stormed past Glenn, non-too gently and Glenn’s shoulders slumped.

            Looking up, Glenn felt a pair of eyes on him and turning around he barely caught Daryl staring at him from the edge of the forest with a brace of rabbits on his back. As soon as Glenn’s eyes locked onto Daryl’s, the boy had turned and walked towards Shane and Rick and Glenn sighed.

 

* * *

 

            “How’s the camp?” Daryl looked up from where he was skinning a rabbit for his own dinner. He’d already snuck the rest of the rabbits beside Carol’s tent, skinned and ready-to-go, knowing that she would be able to make a nice soup with them. He frowned when he saw Rick making his way over to his camp, with Carl not far behind.

            “’S fine.” Daryl grunted and continued to skin the rabbit in his hands. He ignored Carl’s gag and felt the father and son next to him on his log.

            “Looks pretty good. Good use of the old chimney for a fire.” Rick continued nonchalantly and Daryl was more than a little curious as to what the man wanted. He just wished that people would leave him alone _(that’s a lie)_.

            “Yeah, wasn’t that hard.” Daryl said and pushed the skinned fur aside. He couldn’t probably make some warm socks out of that for the winter. Once he learned how to make socks, that is.

            “This is awesome. Dad can I come out here with Daryl. His camp looks better than ours!” Carl couldn’t help but excitedly say, causing a ghost of a smile to brush over Daryl’s’ lips. Rick caught the smile though and couldn’t help but grin himself.

            “I’m not sure buddy, I think Daryl’s got it pretty good out here on his own.” Rick rubbed his chin in pretend thought. Daryl couldn’t help but look up at Rick and smirked at the smile on Carl’s face. “Besides, he probably doesn’t want a roommate that would snore too much.”

            At that, Daryl couldn’t help but snicker out loud, causing Carl and Rick to both grin.

            “Aw, come on dad. I’m not that bad, you and mom are the worst!” Carl whined, leaning into his dad and Rick laughed. Daryl’s stomach was in summersaults at sight of the father and son not yelling or hitting each other. “Maybe if I stay with Daryl I can actually get some sleep.”

            “Are you saying that you don’t want to be in the same tent as your mother and I?” Rick feigned hurt by grabbing his chest dramatically. Carl rolled his eyes and Daryl’s grin slowly grew.

            “Dad. That’s so embarrassing. I’m almost thirteen.” Carl sighed sadly. “I think I’ll be fine.”

            “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m ready to let my baby boy go.” Rick continued to think and rub his chin, feeling the stubble on it. Carl screeched at the nickname and scrambled to get away from the overbearing hug from his father. By now Daryl had completely forgotten about the rabbit in his hands and was desperately trying to hold back a laugh.

            He nearly cracked up when Carl had jumped up to hide behind him.

            “Help me out here bro. My dad’s too weird. You wouldn’t make me stay with him, right?” Daryl snickered at the thought before rubbing one of his arms. Rick faked a hurt look.

            “Aw no, Daryl, you wouldn’t tear apart this family would you? My son needs to be right at his mother’s side, doesn’t he?” Rick asked and Daryl grinned.

            “Um, I think the boy could probably use some space. Lori’s got him on lock and key and that’s embarrassing _for me._ ” Daryl admitted with a shy shrug of his shoulders. He felt Carl fist pump beside him and peeking up, Daryl saw the amused look on Rick’s face. He was glad the man wasn’t actually mad and trying to get Daryl in the middle of a fight.

            Unlike his own father and Merle.

            “But,” Daryl couldn’t help but snicker when Carl’s body suddenly froze. “I ain’t gonna tolerate nor snoring babies either.” He watched as Rick threw his head back in laughter and Daryl felt warm throughout his entire body. Suddenly Carl was scrambling up beside him with an arm thrown over his shoulder, ignoring Daryl’s slight flinch.

            “I promise I won’t snore. I’ll be so quiet that you’ll forget I’m even there. Please, Daryl. Please!” Daryl looked over at Carl’s face to see a ridiculous version of puppy dog eyes on his face and Daryl snorted. He decided to pull a page out of Rick’s book and pretended to be deep in thought.

            “I dunno…” Daryl could feel Carl vibrating at his side and even if this was all fun, Daryl kind of liked the idea of not being alone anymore. At least Carl was a kid like him, and he’d probably listen to Daryl more than his own mom.

            “Fine. I guess, if it’s okay with yer old man and mom.”

            “Watch who you’re calling old, son.” Rick warned playfully and Daryl rolled his eyes. Eventually Rick stood up, extra slow (Daryl didn’t admit that he’d let out a giggle at that) and Carl bounced to his feet in excitement. “Well, come on you two, let’s go ask Lori and get Carl a bag ready.” Daryl’s eyes lit up and Carl let out a whoop of a holler and the three were soon making their way back to camp. Daryl kept close to Rick as he got closer and closer to camp, while Carl rattled off on how great it was going to be being camp mates and how he had a whole chocolate bar in his bag that he and Daryl could split.

            However, as the three entered the camp, Glenn immediately looked up and stared at Daryl. Daryl tried to avert his gaze especially when everyone else in camp turned to look at them, before Glenn stood up. Daryl blinked and looked up as Glenn nervously cleared his throat.

            “Uh, guys,” He paused and Daryl felt a sudden lump in his throat as all the air vanished from his lungs. _Was Glenn about to do what Daryl thought he was?_

            “So…the barn’s full of Walkers.” And just like that, the entire camp was frozen in silence and fear.

           Later, Daryl didn’t want to admit but he didn’t even want to set foot within a hundred feet of the barn again. The images of dozens of Walkers, hungrily clawing at the wood just a few feet below him that night, still gave Daryl nightmares. Daryl swallowed thickly when members of the group stood in front of the barn, clearly hearing the moans from inside and the banging against the door. He was standing close to Glenn.

            Rick had already tried to talk to Hershel and come up with an agreement. He wanted the Walkers dead, so that their camp was safe but he also didn’t want Hershel to kick them off the first safe place they had in months _(right, “safe”)_. Every day Shane and even Andrea were becoming more and more restless now that they knew there were Walkers in the barn. Everyday someone had taken watch to stand by the barn in case any escaped. Shane had tried to get Daryl to stay watch and when he had frozen, unable to say no, Glenn had stepped in and threatened to shove Shane’s dick down his throat if he even thought about putting Daryl in that kind of a position.

            Daryl managed a weak smile at Glenn and that was it.

            At least it was progress.

            Shane wanted to kill the Walkers. Andrea and T-Dog too. Daryl did too but he didn’t say that out loud. The others did but they were concerned about Hershel’s threat to banish them. Lori had forbidden Carl from camping with Daryl, until Rick reasoned that if Daryl moved back into their camp they could still share a tent. It took Glenn begging Daryl to come back before Daryl agreed, but he and Glenn still had separate tents.

            Daryl was thankful and happy that in the end Glenn had chosen to save the group – had chosen _him._ But that still didn’t mean that his betrayal didn’t hurt.

            “Daryl, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I betrayed your trust and broke it.”

            “Don’t care.” Daryl grunted and shrugged off Glenn’s apology. He ignored the somber look on Glenn’s face before biting his lip. “Just…just promise you’ll keep us safe?” _Promise you’ll keep me safe._ Daryl finally looked at Glenn after weeks of ignoring him and looking away, seeing the dark bags under Glenn’s cheeks and the pale skin. He swallowed thickly at the agonized expression on Glenn’s face.

            Quickly, Glenn nodded. “I promise. I promise. I will _never_ let you get hurt or leave you.” And Daryl believed Glenn.

            “Okay.” He nodded and that was it. He might not trust Glenn completely yet, but he was praying that one day he and Glenn could trust each other as they had at the CDC. But for now, he had forgiven Glenn and that was it.

            However, Glenn still felt guilt and thought himself undeserving of Daryl’s forgiveness, and to top it all off, Maggie was furious with him.

            She was ignoring Glenn and even dumped eggs on his head on more than one occasion. Daryl watched this all from afar, choosing to stay away, and remembering Carol’s words in her head. He didn’t trust Maggie by a long shot now, but he could see just how much she meant to Glenn, and Daryl couldn’t help but feel embarrassed of his jealously. Glenn was allowed to let in whoever he wanted into his family. Whether Daryl liked it or not, so who was Daryl to choose who Glenn could love or not?

            Honestly though, the hurt puppy-dog look on Glenn’s face was getting annoying.

            Eventually, Daryl had stormed right up to Maggie one morning, after she’d dumped eggs into his favorite baseball hat and slammed it onto his head. He snatched the basket of eggs out of Maggie’s hand, before throwing them on the floor and stomping all over them.

            “What the hell are you doing, you little brat?!” Maggie yelled, eyes narrowed in anger. However, instead of backing down, Daryl squared his shoulders and stared up at Maggie, just as dark.

            “Shut up!” Maggie blinked at the exclamation and Daryl hissed. “You listen here and you listen good ma’am, ‘cause I ain’t gonna repeat myself. Now, yer just being a goddamn pussy and throwing a big old temper tantrum and that needs to stop.”

            “I think you’re the one throwing a temper tantrum.”

            “I said, shut up!” Daryl threatened and stood on his tiptoes to stare at Maggie. Thankfully she shut her mouth with a frown. “Now I ain’t gonna apologize for what happened because you were putting us all in danger, including yer family. You know how dangerous a Walker can be and could you forgive yerself if one of ‘em bite yer daddy? Or Beth? Or _Glenn?”_ Daryl hissed and wagged his fist in front of Maggie’s surprised face. “It’s not Glenn’s fault that he told everyone, he was jus’ tryna protect _his_ family like you are and it ain’t fair that yer being a real shit to him for it. Ain’t his fault we’re scared of Walkers eating us, ‘cause that’s what they do you know? They _eat_ humans.”

            “Now, Glenn has been miserable ‘cause of you and I ain’t gonna stand for it no more.” Daryl continued before Maggie could even open her mouth. “See, Glenn is real special to me, ‘cause he’s the only one that ever gave two shits ‘bout me, my whole life. But I know he _loves_ you. And I don’t like you very much, but Glenn loves you and he’s miserable without ya.” He watched as Maggie’s face softened when Daryl said this and he almost hesitated in his rant. _Maybe she did care for him just as he had._

            “Glenn nearly chose _you_ over the rest of us.” Daryl decided to not add himself into the conversation as to keep it as minimal as possible. “That’s saying something. You mean a lot to him now, dunno why.” Daryl shrugged his shoulder and ignored the soft snort from Maggie. “I don’t like how yer treating him but I can be nice if you can too, fer him. He deserves it and he don’t deserve no bitch treating him like shit, so either step up and apologize and forgive the man or back off fer good. I ain’t gonna let you keep doing this.” With that, Daryl continued to stare Maggie in her eyes, watching as a flicker of emotions ran across her face. The two stayed in a moment of silence and Daryl was ready to walk away when Maggie finally sighed.

            “You really mean all that?”

            “Every word.” Daryl nodded once and stepped down from his tip toes. As he turned around he felt a hand on his shoulder and Daryl froze.

            “You’re a good kid, especially for him.” Maggie said softly but Daryl refused to turn around and face. “You just best watch your language.” He could hear the slight amusement in Maggie’s voice so Daryl kept his back to her, despite the satisfied smile that grew on his lips.

            However, before Daryl could fully walk away, Shane was yelling and the group was in a flurry just as Rick came through the trees with Jimmy and Hershel, holding _Walkers_ by the neck. Daryl felt his heart sink.

            This was going to end bad.

            Shane was already storming towards the barn, with the others following after him and soon enough Daryl and Maggie were both sprinting towards after everyone else, with Shane yelling all the way. Daryl could see Glenn reaching him and Maggie first as they continued towards the barn, with Maggie’s family close behind. Hershel, Jimmy and Rick continued to herd the Walkers towards the barn and Daryl felt sick.

            He hung back when they reached the barn, opting to stay close to Glenn. He eyed the two moaning Walkers, with slight fear when they swung wildly to reach out at everyone. Inside his chest, his heart was hammering and his palms were sweating.

            “What the hell are you doing? Are you kidding me?” Shane finally roared when he and the others reached Rick and Hershel. Maggie broke away from Daryl and Glenn to try and reach her father but nobody but Shane wanted to intervene. “You see?! You see what they’re holding on to?” Shane yelled again.

_They’re holding onto false hope._

            Daryl’s throat tightened.

            “I see _who_ I’m holding on to.” Hershel responded furiously.

            “Nah man you don’t!” Shane hissed when he began to circle Hershel, Rick and the Walkers.

            “Shane, leave it alone.” Rick hissed, but he was more concerned with keeping the teeth of the Walker away from him and everyone else. “Let me do this, then we can talk.” The Walker inched closer to Shane, making Shane jump away.

            “What’chu wanna talk about Rick?! These thing’s aint sick. They’re dead!” Daryl winced as Shane’s voice began to talk on an authorities tone, almost like a military man. He ducked his head in submission quickly, shuffling closer to Glenn. “They ain’t people! They’re dead! They ain’t got to feel nothing, ‘cause all the do is kill!”

            “Shane!”

            “These things right here!” Shane continued and he ignored Rick and the others. “They’re the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis!” Daryl looked around quickly noticing how Amy, T-Dog and some others were nodding along with Shane in agreement. Daryl understood where Shane was coming from, because it was the truth. Maybe not these specific Walkers, but Walkers had killed their friends.

            Walkers were evil.

            “And they’re going to kill us to unless we do something!” Shane yelled even louder.

            “Shane, shut up!” Rick growled dangerously beside Hershel. Eventually Shane stopped circling around the two to pause and his yelling ceased.

            “Hey Hershel, lemme ask you something. Can a living, breathing person, can they walk away from this?” Daryl saw the fun before anyone else. Shane fired two immediate bullets into the female Walker that Hershel was holding and Daryl choked back a cry. He heard, Hershel, Rick and some of the woman screaming out at Shane. The sound of the bullets firing echoed in Daryl’s head, and immediately he noticed Glenn, Andrea and others pulling out their own guns.

            “Why do your people have guns on our property?!” Maggie shouted but no one was listening to her. For a second Daryl felt sorry for her and Hershel.

            “Whoa.” Glenn croaked, nervously pointing his gun between Shane and the Walkers.

            “Stop! Stop!” Rick roared.

            “That’s three rounds in the chest.” Shane continued without even a moment’s hesitation. “Someone who’s alive – could they just take that? Why is it still coming?” Daryl winced when Shane fired the gun two more times. “That’s its heart. Its lungs. Why is it still coming?” Another three bullets and everyone was flinching.

            “Shane! Stop it! Enough.” Rick continues to scream.

            “Hey man, you’re right. That is enough.” Shane slowly walked towards the screeching female Walker and Daryl swallowed. Then with one last fire of the gun, Shane sunk a bullet straight into the skull of the Walker and she went down.

            Dead silence followed as Hershel dropped the stick holding the dead Walker in horror as he sunk to his knees. Maggie was quick to break free of the group and rush to her father’s side.

            “Enough.” Shane commanded after an eerie silence. “Risking our lives to protect a man who _thinks_ these animals are alive. Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough! Rick, it ain’t like it was before,” Shane stared Rick down without so much as blinking. Daryl fearfully watched as Shane began to stalk towards the group, before grabbing Daryl by the arm and yanking him back.

            Daryl couldn’t help but cry out when Shane had grabbed him and Shane continued to ignore every screaming at him.

            “Stop it! Shane let him go!” Lori pleaded from where she held Carl by her side.

            “Let him go!” Glenn snarled, shot gun raised and pointed at Shane. However, Shane merely scoffed and turned away from Glenn, still gripping Daryl in a way that was sure to leave bruises. Shane pulled Daryl up until he was facing him, pulling him so close that he could see the sweat dripping down Shane’s forehead.

            “Hey, you wanna keep this family safe right? Ain’t that what you want?” Daryl swallowed, unable to look away from the crazed look in the man’s eyes.

            “Yer crazy!” Daryl hissed, trying to fight out of Shane’s grip, but the man had age, height and weight on Daryl.

            “Let him go Shane!” Glenn snarled again.

            “Stop it, Shane!” Rick shouted.

            Shane ignored them both. “You wanna keep this family safe? Keep Glenn safe and Carol? Then you know I’m right, don’t you?” Shane continued and Daryl winced when the grip tightened. “You’re the only one who probably gets it. We gotta survive and keep this family safe – and that can’t have it with these killers allowed to live next to us. Right?” Daryl was frozen unsure of what to do. Sure he agreed, the Walkers needed to die but not because Shane was crazy and said so.

            Suddenly, Shane was shoving another handgun into Daryl’s hand, who quickly grabbed it with shaking hands. “You know what we gotta do, don’t you? We have to keep everyone safe. Don’t you want to keep everyone safe?” Daryl jerked back when the grip on his arm tightened but he found himself nodding out of fear. “Then shoot these fuckers dead.”

            Shane shoved Daryl aside a few feet, still within range as Daryl shakily held the gun.

            “Don’t you dare make _him_ do this!” Glenn snarled, eyes trained on the gun in Shane’s hand that was pointed in Daryl’s direction. Shane eventually turned around.

            “If you want to survive, you’ve got to fight for it! And I'm talking about fighting for it! Right here, right now!” Daryl couldn’t even move as Shane raced to the doors of the barn.

            “Take this pole!” Rick suddenly shouted fearfully while Daryl turned towards the barn. “Hershel? Hershel?! Hershel!”

            “Rick!”

            “Listen to me man, take it! Take it now!” Rick continued to plead, all while Shane rammed a pick axe into the locks on the chains on the barn doors. Everyone was focused on Hershel and Rick, but Daryl couldn’t tear his eyes away from the barn doors. “Hershel, please! Take it! Hershel!” Daryl was frozen in his spot ignoring everyone, even Glenn when Shane finally broke the last chain on the lock.

            “Don’t do it!” Glenn screamed just as Lori was screaming for Rick. The entire group was in chaos and Daryl’s hard was pounding in his chest while his hands shook. Shane removed the beam from the door and stepped back. Daryl watched as Shane stood beside him, loading his gun and aiming for the door.

            “C’mon.” He whispered and Daryl swallowed thickly before aiming his own gun.

            “Daryl, no!”

            Then the two barn doors were shoved open as the first of the Walkers came shuffling out. Daryl nearly took a step back when more and more continued to come out of the barn, and his eyes were blurred with unshed tears. But he noticed that Shane hadn’t so much as flinched from his spot he stayed rooted to the ground and Shane fired the first shot.

            The Walker hit the ground, dead immediately, and soon enough Daryl felt his own gun recoil back as he fired a shot at the closest Walker to him. _Don’t let it touch you, don’t let it get you._ He felt Andrea and T-Dog run beside him and Shane as they too began firing their guns as the group of Walkers headed their way. More and more shots were fired, killing every last Walker in their way before Daryl felt a familiar presence beside him, putting distance between him and Shane.

            “I’m sorry Maggie.” Glenn choked over his shoulder before he too was shooting at the Walkers coming at him. For the next few minutes, the only sounds of gun fire and bodies dropping like flies could be heard. Daryl kept his eyes firmly locked onto the barn doors, even when the last of the Walkers had fallen to their final death.

            Everyone stopped shooting but Daryl never lowered his gun even when it was trembling in his hands. He felt Glenn shift closer to him with his own gun still raised. When everything was silent for over ten minutes, everyone began to lower their weapons. All except for Daryl. Beside them, Shane sighed heavily and turned around. He gave one last look at a numb Rick and eyed the other group members before walking away from everyone and back to camp.

            “Daryl, it’s okay. They’re all gone now.” Daryl didn’t even register Glenn in front of him before he jerked his gun at Glenn’s chest, ready to fire. His mind was foggy and muddled with fear and confusion and all he could see was a dead body trying to walk towards him.

            Glenn’s eyes widened. He recognized the frightened animal look on Daryl’s face and vowed to kill Shane himself for what he’s done. “Hey, hey, easy now Daryl. It me. It’s Glenn. You’re safe now, okay? You did good. We’re all safe. Your _family_ is safe.” Glenn approached Daryl slowly, noting the loaded gun that was still pointed at his chest. However, he must have gotten through to Daryl because he hadn’t pulled the trigger and his glazed eyes were focused on Glenn entirely.

            “You’re okay Daryl. You’re safe now.” Glenn’s heart cracked at the broken look on Daryl’s face when tears began to fall down his cheeks. Around him, his group was nervously staring at the ground unsure of what to do after all this. Not even Rick knew what to do if Daryl’s mental stability was broken.

            “It’s me. It’s Glenn.” Glenn continued to creep closer to Daryl, dropping his shot gun in the process. Daryl nearly jerked away from Glenn but stared at him with wide eyes. “Hey, Hey. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you had to do that. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

            Eventually, Glenn could reach out to touch Daryl and he could feel how violently this _child_ was trembling and Glenn wanted to scream at how unfair it all was.

_Why him? Why Daryl?_

_Hadn’t he suffered enough?_

            Thankfully, Daryl didn’t shoot at Glenn when he touched him and when Glenn had both hands on Daryl’s shoulders, he finally dropped the gun. Glenn was quick to kick the gun away while Daryl blinked at him.

            “G-Glenn?” Daryl asked, as if just realizing that Glenn was right in front of him. Glenn swallowed thickly, trying to brush away the hot tears off Daryl’s face.

            “Oh Daryl, I’m so sorry.”

            That was the last straw and soon enough Daryl found himself crumpling to the floor, too traumatized by what Shane had made him too. His terror of Shane only grew in that moment and Glenn was at a loss. Glenn fell along with Daryl, ignoring everyone else around them. He was quick to wrap his arms around Daryl and pull him against his chest. Daryl latched on with one hand fisted tightly into Glenn’s shirt afraid to even let go in fear someone would die. Glenn felt his own tears fall down his cheeks and drip off his nose, into Daryl’s hair as he let the boy cry. _Why Daryl?_

            Around them, Andrea awkwardly looked at the piles of dead bodies while T-Dog stared at the barn. Dale swallowed, unable to even comprehend what had just happened and Lori forced herself to look away and keep Carl’s focus on her. He was crying out for Daryl, afraid of seeing the usually stoic boy looking so broken. Maggie chanced a glance away from her father and her family to see Daryl crumpled against Glenn and for a moment she couldn’t help but feel her own heart break for the two. Daryl’s hand had been forced and nothing could done to make any of them feel better.

            Rick couldn’t stop staring at the bodies that piled up on the floor or Daryl in Glenn’s arms. His heart cracked further and further with every sob that came from Daryl and his anger for Shane only grew. His best friend – his brother…

            How could his brother do that? To Hershel? To them? To _Daryl?_ Rick couldn’t even bring himself to speak and instead looked to Carol who was trying to hold back her own tears. Eventually, Maggie had stood up to drag her comatose father away from the scene of the blood bath. Beth had to be dragged by both Jimmy and Patricia before she could run to her mother’s corpse, leaving just an empty group of survivors behind.

            Daryl poked his head through Glenn’s arms, staring numbly at the remaining members of his group, surrounding him and Glenn. He never focused too hard on any of them and continued to hiccup, fearing a new wave of tears coming his way. However, upon seeing Rick, who was staring back at him, Daryl’s expression was blank and his eyes dulled.

            He opened his mouth to speak and Rick’s heart sunk.

            “He can’t stay. I don’t trust him anymore. He needs to go or I will.” Before Rick could respond, Glenn had tightened his hold on Daryl and spoke up.

            “Me too Rick. I can’t do this again. I can’t leave Daryl in danger.”

_I won’t abandon him again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so how was that? I couldn't split up Glenn and Daryl, no way. But Glenn is going to have to earn Daryl's trust again because he lost most of it, even if it's forgiven. And Maggie's gonna have to work hard too if she's staying with Glenn and Daryl is willing to be nice. I like Shane's character because what happened to him, probably would have happened to a lot of people if Walkers were real, but I totally made him a big asshole in this fic. Sorry Shane. But hey, Carol and Daryl are cute and so are Rick and Daryl. But Glenn and Daryl will always be number one. 
> 
> So did you guys like that chapter? Thoughts? Comments? Likes? Dislikes? Let me know, because every comment makes me smile and I am glad to know people are reading this little fic.
> 
> Also, if anyone has any short one-shot ideas for this fic, let me know! In between chapters I also want to do small moment or time chapters (like 2 or 3K words, nothing huge). And if you suggest anything, I'll probably write it. But the main chapters of the fic will of course center around the plot of the Walking Dead. This is an obvious AU, so not everything will follow as it did in canon.
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think and thanks for reading guys!
> 
> Thanks and peaceout!


	4. Don't You Leave Me Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp....awkward. It's been so long guys and I apologize. Life got in the way and it still is, but I am so thankful that there are some who still enjoy this fic and are reading it. Thank you so much and I appreciate all of the patience you all have with me. I can't believe how long it has been. But I'm hoping to get a couple of chapters out now and keep going. Though I may need to re-watch some seasons of TWD (which I can't really complain about). I did, take some liberties of changing the storyline because this is AU obviously and somethings don't work as well with kid Daryl.
> 
> Ah poor Daryl. This chapter is full of angst, but what can you expect with TWD. Thanks for reading, leaving comments and kudos and I hope you enjoy this one!

               Good things didn’t happen to people like Daryl.

               That’s what his daddy always used to tell Daryl. Rotten kids like Daryl and Merle would never get anything good out of life. That’s why you had to fend for yourself and _survive._ That’s why you took those beatings – to get stronger. That’s why you stole – to eat. That’s why you hunted.

               Daryl wished his daddy had been wrong but he was starting to believe that the old man’s words had actually meant something. Especially after Sophia’s death and what went down with Shane and the Walkers in the barn.

               Just when Daryl was _finally_ starting to feel safe and happy, it all came down like a fire burning his heart. _Of course, he wasn’t ever going to be safe. Of course, nothing good would happen._ Daryl had allowed himself to get comfortable; too comfortable. Part of that was due to Glenn. Daryl was still hurt by what Glenn had almost done, but he couldn’t find himself to hate the man. After all, Glenn had been the only person in Daryl’s entire nine years of life to show him even an ounce of kindness and love. Glenn had managed to worm his way into Daryl’s heart and the boy couldn’t bring himself to regret it, no matter how angry he got.

               Glenn meant something to Daryl. More than his daddy or mama and even more than Merle.

               And it _terrified_ Daryl.

               “Maybe we can change Hershel’s mind?” Rick sighed shakily, running a hand through his hair. It was early the next morning and no one from their group had seen hide or hair of Hershel or his daughters. However, that meant Hershel hadn’t come to forcefully remove them from his property at dawn. Everyone didn’t know whether to feel frightened or relieved.

               “You think he’s going to listen after that stunt Shane pulled?” Dale almost rolled his eyes as he said this with a tired sigh. This was the exact reason for why Dale had wanted to hide the guns from Shane. Dale could see that Shane was a dangerous man. The apocalypse had changed Shane from the man he must have been; it had changed all of them, but the change in Shane was most noticeable. He almost felt sorry for Shane, but after what he’d done, Dale couldn’t bring himself to feel sorry anymore.

               “Speaking of Shane, what’s going to happen to him?” Glenn asked, eyes narrowed and expression looking darker than ever before. He was seated closest to Daryl, but wasn’t holding him like yesterday. Daryl had been a bit embarrassed and tried to remain tough in front of everyone else. The others glanced between Glenn and Daryl nervously.

               “I don’t know if we should be worried about that right now.” Lori finally spoke up and Glenn actually did roll his eyes. Daryl frowned but kept his gaze down on the dying fire pit. Gently he kicked a rock at it and Glenn snorted.

               “Really? You’re telling me that you aren’t worried he might kill us in our sleep if we go against him?” Glenn asked and Lori took in a sharp breath.

               “Now, Shane isn’t – he isn’t like that. He wouldn’t do that.” Rick said, while looking around as if to make sure Shane wasn’t eavesdropping. Glenn wanted to point out that if Rick was doing that, then how could he ever trust him?

               “He killed Otis!” Glenn bit out and everyone flinched. He knew that by now everyone else had figured out what _really_ happened to poor Otis during his trip with Shane. However, Glenn didn’t understand why everyone wanted to skirt around this issue after that had just happened at the barn. Shane was dangerous and it was only a matter of time before any of them were also killed.

               “Look, Shane wouldn’t kill any of us. He wants us all to be safe.”

               “What if it was Carl?” Glenn finally demanded. Said boy, looked up at when his name was said and his face crumpled at the expression on Daryl’s face. No one seemed to notice the conflicted look of guilt and sadness on Daryl’s face other than Carl. It made Carl want to reach out and comfort the younger boy, like his mother or father had always done for him in the past. Though, Carl didn’t know if Daryl would respond positively to such comfort and was ashamed that he kept this to himself.

               Lori’s sharp intake of breath made Rick sigh.

               “What if Shane did this to Carl? Would you forgive him so easily?” Glenn asked, hands balled up into fists at his sides. Rick swallowed thickly and couldn’t help but look at his son as Glenn said this. He couldn’t even begin to imagine Carl being forced to do that. Deep down, Rick _knew_ he would have to teach Carl how to shoot and kill, especially if these Walkers weren’t going away any time soon. He knew that Lori was so very against the idea but Rick wanted nothing more than for his son to _survive_ and to live. However, what Shane had done was not the way to teach a child.

               What Shane had done to Daryl was wrong.

               But Shane was his best friend.

               “Now Glenn that just isn’t fair –” Lori tried to weakly argue, pulling Carl closer to her. However, she was interrupted by her own husband.

               “No.” Rick said hollowly. “I wouldn’t.”

               “Then what makes it any different for Daryl?” Glenn finally stood up, seeing how everyone avoided his gaze and refused to look at Daryl. “You’ve got a _child_ – a nine-year-old child – who is afraid of Shane. How is it fair that you protect that son of a bitch while Daryl is afraid? While _I’m_ afraid?” Daryl swallowed when he heard Glenn admit that he was afraid and felt his heart speed up. _I’m not the only one afraid of Shane?_        

               “I already said it. If you’re choosing _him_ over us, then I’m out. I’m not dealing with this shit anymore.” Glenn shook his head sadly and made to walk away. He hesitated but Daryl was already right beside him, head still down and not looking at anyone. Though, Glenn smiled softly when he felt Daryl reach out to tentatively grab his hand. Squeezing it tightly, Glenn glared at the group one last time.

               “I hate splitting us up Rick. We’ve become more than just survivors, but it comes down to this: him or _us.”_ With that, Glenn stormed away with Glenn and Rick sat down heavily. He ignored the attempts of comfort by Lori and Carl and the awkward stares from the rest of the group.

               If it came down to that, who _would_ Rick pick?

               Shane?

               Or Daryl and Glenn?

 

* * *

             

               Daryl was ansty. Or nervous. Or maybe both. He felt like there were fire ants in his shoes and he was hoping from one foot to the other. However, Daryl knew there weren’t fire ants in his shoes (he had checked earlier) and he was simply worried. It didn’t stop him from pacing and bouncing on his feet.

               Apparently, Hershel was missing. Maggie had explained the whole situation to Rick and Shane when she couldn’t find Hershel anywhere. Then Rick was saying something about going after Hershel who was probably at a bar, but Daryl didn’t understand what bar would be open these days anyway. Daryl shivered at the thought of Hershel being an alcoholic and drinking at a bar, much like his old man used to do and then he would _beat_ Daryl.

               Daryl didn’t want Hershel to be like his daddy.

               However, then Rick had promised Maggie to go after Hershel and bring him home safely and the _Glenn_ had volunteered to go with. Without hesitation, Glenn had volunteered to go with Rick and Daryl _and_ Maggie had both nearly cried. Daryl wanted to scream and kick and shout at Glenn that what he was doing was stupid, stupid, stupid. He wanted to stomp his feet and scream and scream until his face was read and Glenn had surely heard him.

               But that was who Glenn was.

               Selfless and always putting others before him. Like Daryl and his family.

               Daryl hated it but yet that’s what he admired most about Glenn.

               Maggie had tried to convince Glenn not to go, in fear of whatever had happened at the pharmacy. Glenn shook her off with a gentle look and promised her to bring Hershel back safely. Just before he and Rick left, Maggie had grabbed a hold of Glenn and kissed him right on the lips.

               Daryl’s stomach had churned and he looked away, grumbling about gross adults. He was glad that Maggie and Glenn were on good terms again, because Glenn was _happy_ but the idea of Glenn and Maggie together still make Daryl sick to his stomach with worry. However, he hid his fear with annoyance until Glenn turned to him.

               He bit his lip when Glenn knelt to his height and smiled at him, so warm and bright, that even Daryl could feel it.

               “I’ll be back soon okay. Can you hold this for me until I come back?” Glenn had asked before putting his hat onto Daryl’s head. The hat was much too big on him and almost covered Daryl’s eyes until he held it up by the brim.

               “I dunno why you keep this. It’s filthy.” Daryl pretended to huff but he didn’t make a single move to remove the hat on his head. Glenn laughed and smiled again.

               “Eh, it’s who I am.” Glenn shrugged and Daryl couldn’t help but grin a little back at Glenn. Glenn’s attitude and smiles were infectious after all. “Stay away from Shane and stay safe. I’ll be back soon.” Glenn said seriously, smile gone. Daryl nodded stiffly and eyed Shane from the corner of his eyes.

               “You should be worried ‘bout yerself.” Daryl muttered. “Come back.” That was all Daryl said before stepping back.

               Glenn felt his heart swell with love for this little boy and his eyes shone brighter than before. His smile came back despite the situation and he stood up. Then Glenn was in the car with Rick and they were gone. Out of sight and out of mind.

               Daryl was the last one to stare after the car even after it disappeared. Maggie had remained close by but eventually gave him space and headed towards the house to check on her sister. Only when Shane began to walk towards Daryl, did he finally move.

               Then Daryl was headed back to his tent in the campsite. And if anyone had noticed Daryl sitting closer to Carol and furthest from Shane, no one dared to comment. Instead they continued to pretend as if nothing was wrong with their group.

               As if nothing was broken.

               Hours ticked by until it was night and there was still no sign of Rick, Glenn or Hershel. Daryl had already hunted and checked his traps about a _dozen_ times since Glenn’s departure and even he couldn’t use that as an excuse anymore. So, there he was, _not moping_ around by the camper while Dale remained on watch. Shane was arguing with Lori about something but Daryl didn’t care enough to figure out what they were arguing about. Carl had been sent off while they argued and found his way to Daryl. Eventually Carl plopped down heavily in a chair beside Daryl, sinking back into the chair. Daryl almost scowled when he saw that Carl’s feet could touch the ground as he sat back, but if Daryl was to sit back that much his feet would be dangling.

               “Do think they’re okay?” Carl finally broke the silence between the two and Daryl blinked. He didn’t need to ask who Carl was talking about because Daryl had been asking himself the same question all day long.

               “Of course, they are.” Daryl scoffed and tried to act tough in front of Carl. “Rick and Glenn know how to take care of themselves.”

               “What if there’s walkers?” Carl asked quietly and curled into himself. Daryl’s stomach twisted painfully but he swallowed the need to panic.

               “Again. You’ve seen them fight walkers. They can take care of themselves.” Daryl shrugged. “Stop worrying so much.”

               “How come you aren’t upset?” Carl asked, looking at Daryl with a small pout. Daryl almost snickered at the sight but refrained from doing so because that would probably be rude. At least, Glenn would say that to Daryl.

               “’Cause it’s pointless to be worrying yourself sick. That’ll only make it worse and then yer doin’ nothing but worrying.” Daryl shrugged, face set in a familiar blank look. Carl swallowed, unused to seeing such a look on anyone but an adult. It was unnerving to see it on someone who was younger than Carl. This was someone who _Carl_ was supposed to protect, and yet Daryl was protecting him. _How messed up was that?_

               “Carl,” Shane was walking towards them, having come from nowhere. It was dark out and the others still weren’t back. Daryl wasn’t about to let Carl know that what he had said was affecting him more than he admitted. Daryl was actually downright terrified that something would happen and that they wouldn’t come home. He was terrified of something happening to Glenn.

               _Please protect him._

               And of course, Daryl was worried about Rick. He’d come to like Rick after the past couple of months with the man, and he respected the ex-sheriff. Daryl could see why Carl looked up to his dad and why everyone liked Rick. He was a good man. Better than his daddy or Merle ever was.

               Daryl was also worried about Hershel. He might have been a bit delusional before but he had been nice enough to let them onto his property and stay there. Even if it was tense, and there was the fact that he had kept walkers in the barn. Still, he was nice and he was grieving.

               Everyone grieved differently.

               At least, that’s what mama had once said.

               “Shane? Are they back yet?” Carl jumped to his feet, bounding over to the man. Daryl removed himself from the chair to step away from Shane and Carl. He didn’t want to be _anywhere_ near Shane. Not now; not ever.

               “No. Not yet. They’ll be here soon.” Shane attempted to smile at the other, and Carl smiled back. Though it was strained and uneasy and it made Daryl’s stomach churn. Something was different about Shane and Carl now; something that wasn’t there before. Before those two had been as close as Carl and Rick, right up until that barn incident. Until Daryl’s proclamation. His stomach twisted painful at the thought that he was the reason for Shane and Carl’s distrust of one another. He didn’t trust Shane and Glenn didn’t trust Shane, but Carl always had until now.

               Daryl didn’t think Shane was safe but he knew how a person could still love something who wasn’t safe. He knew it all too well.

               “Carl, have you seen your mom? Did she come this way?” Shane asked quietly and Daryl tried to inch further away from Shane. Although, he couldn’t bring himself to leave Carl all alone with the man. No matter how scared Daryl was of that man, he wouldn’t risk leaving Carl alone with him. Not while Rick wasn’t around, or Lori apparently.

               “No. I thought you two were arguing in the house.” Carl rubbed his arms quietly as he shifted from foot to foot.

               “She left a while ago to cool off. Your mom is just worried about your dad.” Shane tried to play if off with a laugh. Carl wasn’t laughing though.

               “She didn’t come here. How come you two are fighting again??” Carl replied stiffly. Daryl’s eyes flickered towards Shane and saw the way that his shoulders tensed and his eyes were rigid.

               “It’s adult things. There’s nothing for you to worry about.” Shane ruffled Carl’s hair, only stopping when Carl flinched. “I’m going out to find your mom. I’ll be back soon.”

               “You’re leaving too?!” Carl cried out and Daryl almost jumped. He watched as Carl and Shane walked off, unable to follow them when the two began arguing. Thankfully, Shane’s voice never raised while Carl’s did and he felt more comfortable letting those two talk this out. There was no need for him.

               Slowly, Carol came up behind him to place a soothing hand on his shoulder. This time Daryl didn’t flinch, but it didn’t help to settle the nerves in his stomach. Especially when he finally decided to speak again.

               “Do you think they’re okay? Glenn?” Daryl asked, without looking at Carol. He didn’t want to look in her eyes in case he saw something that he didn’t like. Too afraid was more like it.

               “I sure hope so, Daryl.” Was all that Carol could say.

 

* * *

 

               Glenn came _home._

               So, did Rick and Hershel.

               And they brought back some guy. Someone named Randall, who was hurt real bad. Lori and Shane had returned before Rick and the others, as it turns out Lori had gone out to find them herself. _So stupid. You stay where it’s safe._

               Daryl was awake when the others came back, along with everyone else. Lori and Carl hugged Rick with smiles all around and Daryl was quick to reach Glenn before Maggie or anyone else could. If Glenn was surprised when Daryl wrapped his skinny, little arms around his waist, he didn’t say anything. He huffed weakly at the sudden motion, but it wasn’t long before he had thrown his arms around Daryl with a wide smile.

               “Hey kiddo, I told you I’d be back.” Glenn smile, unconsciously brushing Daryl’s bangs off his dirty face. Daryl pressed his face into Glenn’s stomach, tightening the hold onto the man and shuddered.

               “Yer late.” Daryl finally muttered, though his voice was muffled heavily by being pressed into Glenn’s shirt.

               Glenn could feel his throat tightening. For Daryl to be this expressive, had to be a testament to how upset he really was. This was unusual for Daryl _(though never unwelcomed)_ and it frightened Glenn. Briefly he was reminded of the fear that was instilled in him back at the bar. Back where he had thought he was going to die without seeing Daryl again. Or Maggie. Or anyone for that matter. He’d been so scared that they weren’t going to make it home and that Glenn was going to die all alone in that alley. He didn’t want to die. Not when he had _so much_ to live for now.

               How could he ever do that to Daryl?

               “Sorry about that.” Glenn laughed nervously and rubbed his hand through Daryl’s hair. He counted it as a win when Daryl didn’t flinch, nor move his head away. He did, however, move his face away to look up at Glenn and Glenn nearly burst into laughter. Daryl was displaying a mighty impressive glare on his face that would have frightened anyone else. Now, though, to Glenn it simply looked like an adorable little pout. “We had to bring someone home and that weighed us down coming back.”

               “Were you okay?” Glenn asked quietly. “Did Shane bother you at all?” Daryl nearly smiled at the growl in Glenn’s voice upon mentioning Glenn. He wouldn’t tell Glenn just yet, but just the fact that Glenn hated Shane as much as he did was more than enough for him for comfort. Slowly Daryl shook his head and Glenn could breathe a sigh of relief.

               Daryl’s eyes warily flickered to the newcomer of whom Hershel and Patricia were helping to fix up on the porch of the farm house. Glenn could see his little brain screaming with distrust and nervousness at the newcomer and Glenn couldn’t help but pull him closer to his body.

               “That’s Randall. We ran into him and his group in town. His group left him behind because he was hurt, so Rick brought him here for Hershel to fix.” Glenn explained quietly and Daryl frowned.

               That was how Randall was introduced.

               It turns out that Daryl wasn’t the only one distrustful of Randall. It seemed like _everyone_ else was distrusting of the stranger. Except Dale that is. Beth and Patricia didn’t seem to care about him either way, but everyone else didn’t trust the kid. Daryl was glad that he wasn’t the only one.

               But the _one_ person who was most distrustful of Randall, was Shane and he was _pissed._ If Daryl hadn’t wanted to be near Shane before, then he definitely wanted to be nowhere near Shane now. Thankfully Shane was mainly taking his anger out with Rick, about what to do with Randall _(not so good for Rick)._

               Shane kept going on and on and on about how they weren’t safe anymore and Randall needed to go. Rick was putting their group in danger and the kid needed to go. Daryl thought that meant bringing the kid back to town but apparently Shane meant it in a the-kid-needs-to-die kind of way.

               Daryl made sure to avoid Shane even more than usual.

               With Glenn back, that wasn’t too much of a problem. Glenn and Daryl often went to do their own thing, like Daryl dragging Glenn along on hunts or helping to fix the fences and perimeters surrounding the farm. Sometimes the others would join them, leaving Rick and Shane to deal with the new guy.

               But Daryl was curious.

               Yes, he was worried and wanted to get rid of the stranger, but he was curious. _Who was this guy?_ Daryl hadn’t gotten a good look of the guy when he first arrived through all the chaos and being glad that Glenn was okay, but he figured Randall had to be some big guy to be in such a dangerous group before.

               Which was why Daryl found himself sneaking off to the old tool shed, where Randall was being kept when no one was watching. Daryl was surprised to see no one outside watching guard over the shed, when there was someone _always_ guarding it twenty-four hours a day. Quietly, Daryl crept around the shed, pleased when he didn’t make a single noise. He crept closer to the back of the shed and froze when he heard a noise.

               “You’re going to answer to me, or I’ll be the last person you ever see.” Daryl slapped a hand over his mouth when he recognized the voice belonging to Shane. _What was Shane doing in there?_ Daryl heard a quiet sob and a whimper and his throat felt tight.

               “I don’t know. I don’t know anything. Please, I won’t go back. I don’t want to go back.” Daryl didn’t recognize the whimpering voice and figured that it must be Randall. Though, that voice didn’t sound like it belonged to someone big and tough. It sounded _young._ Not nearly as young as Carl or Daryl but younger than Shane for sure.

               There was a loud slam and Daryl barely resisted the urge to flinch.

               “Listen to me punk. You won’t put this family in danger.” Shane growled darkly and the kid whimpered again. Daryl could feel his heart beating in his chest, erratic and heavy. He wondered if your heart could beat right out of your chest. “If it were up to me, I’d slit your throat right now and save us all the trouble. What was your group? Where did you come from?”

               There was another loud bang and Daryl moved his body away from the shed, but remained hidden from the window.

               “I don’t know! We weren’t much of a group! I don’t care for them!” Randall sobbed loudly. “We were just together for numbers; they left me behind! They won’t care if I’m gone!” Daryl’s stomach bubbled tightly at the sounds of Randall’s pained moans but he remained rooted to where he was hiding.

               “You expect me to believe that?” Shane snorted and another loud bang followed, along with more of Randall’s cries. “You think that I don’t think a bunch of yer group is gonna try to find us and take over this farm?”

               “Please, I swear!” Randall cried out and another loud bang followed. “I swear! Nobody knows about this farm! No one will come looking!”

               There was a growl from Shane and a couple more bangs before silence. The silence was the worst.

               “You best hope not.” Shane growled one last time, before the front door to the shed opened with a bang. Quickly, Daryl scurried behind some bushes, where he couldn’t be seen by Shane but he could still see Shane. Daryl’s eyes tracked the tense man, whose body language screamed _anger._ Shane grumbled to himself as he chained up the lock on the shed before storming off.

               Daryl was frozen in fear of Shane, remaining in his hiding spot for a few minutes longer before he finally stepped out of the bushes. He mentally debated whether it was still worth the risk to see this Randall guy, only for a second. Eventually he found himself opening the doors to the shed, having to heave the heavy chain off himself, and peeking inside.

               The shed was dark and smelled heavily of blood, causing Daryl to look away for a moment. Once he returned back to the shed, Daryl could finally make out the body of Randall. He was hunched up in the furthest corner of the shed with his head hanging low. Daryl quickly picked up on seeing the chains that were nailed to the shed, chaining his feet and arms to the wall. One leg was stretched out with a bandage wrapped all around his thigh, while the other was curled up under him. The stranger was covered in dried blood, old and new, dirt, sweat and tears and the sight made Daryl sick.

               However, instead of leaving quietly and Daryl had originally planned he found himself drawn towards the stranger. Finally, he spoke, “Why are you here?”

               Randall’s head snapped up so quickly that Daryl could hear his neck popping at the sudden movements. He felt his skin crawl when Randall’s wide, red eyes locked onto him.

               “A kid? There are kids here too?” He whispered hoarsely. Daryl swallowed and moved towards the stranger.

               “Why are you here? Yer not supposed to be here.” Daryl murmured, biting on the rough skin of his thumb. It was a nervous habit he’d done often. Merle would have a fit if he saw him biting his thumb. _Ain’t no pussy, sissy brother of mine suckin’ their thumb._

               “Those guys brought me here.” Randall breathed, uncurling from a ball. Daryl hadn’t realized how close the two of them were, until they were only a foot apart. The only thing stopping them from getting closer was when Randall was yanked back by chains. “I thought they was gonna help me, but they ain’t. Will you help me? Please?” The kid pleaded desperately and Daryl swallowed.

               “I ain’t supposed to.” Daryl mumbled around his thumb. His other hand itched for the knife that was now always by his side. It would do better in a fight against the bigger man, more so than his heavy crossbow. “You shouldn’t be here. Strangers ain’t allowed.” _That’s what Merle always said._

               “But we’re all strangers in this world. Aren’t we?” The man scrambled to his knees, unable to do so with his wounded leg. He tried again to pull on his chains to get closer to Daryl. Daryl’s instincts told him to get away from the man, but he found that he couldn’t move.

               “Yer a danger. You need to leave.” Daryl finally said, voice clear and calm. On the inside he was shaking but on the outside, no one would be able to tell.

               Randall’s eyes widened and he faltered in reaching for Daryl. Just as quickly, he shook his head and blinked. “Yes. Yes. You’re right. I have to leave and I will. If you let me go, I swear I’ll leave your group. I won’t tell nobody where you all are, you just gotta let me go.” He pleaded and reached out and arm to touch Daryl.

               Daryl’s chest was heavy and his emotions were bubbling just under the surface. Right now, more than ever, he wished Glenn were here. _What would he do?_ Daryl bit down on his thumb hard enough to draw a bit of blood.

               “I dunno.” Daryl shrugged. “How do I know yer tellin’ the truth?” He asked, watching as Randall’s eyes faltered for a moment and his mouth dropped into a frown.

               “I swear. I swear on my life.”

               “Your swears mean nothin’ to me.” Daryl scoffed, unconsciously inching closer to the injured kid.

               “Please. Let me go. Please. They’ll kill me, don’t you understand?” Randall begged and Daryl swallowed past the lump in his throat. He knew. Of course, he wasn’t stupid and he knew exactly what Shane wanted to do.

               “They might not. They’re tryna work it out.”

               “But they won’t! That sonofabitch is gonna kill me! Don’t you see?” Randall cried out and Daryl froze. _The kid is getting desperate._ No matter what Daryl thought, he couldn’t do this on his own. Not without Glenn or Rick or even Hershel.

               Just as Daryl was about to step back and head out, a thin hand had snatched a hold of his skinny wrist and latched on tightly. Daryl flailed, and struggled to get Randall off him, but Randall’s grip was tight. To Daryl’s horror, the larger boy began to drag Daryl closer to him, despite Daryl shoving and kicking to get away.

               “Lemme go! Get off of me!” Daryl snarled, feeling the terror creeping within him. It was just bubbling under the surface as he surveyed his option. If no one was out here, there was _no way_ that anyone would hear him scream for help. Randall, despite his injury, was way bigger and way stronger than him so he would lose a fight. Randall had grabbed the arm closest to Daryl’s knife, as Daryl desperately tried to grab the knife with his other hand, only for Randall to twist his wrist painfully.

               “Lemme go! Lemme go!” Daryl could hear his voice rising into a hysterical level. He’d never been so scared before in his life. Not even facing off against walkers or at the barn. The crazed look in Randall’s eyes scared Daryl even more than those dead, glazed eyes of walkers.

               _Glenn please help me. Please._

               “No. No. You’re just gonna let me go. I’ll let you go if you let me go.” Randall said quickly, causing Daryl’s heart to hammer in his chest. He kicked wildly when Randall tried to grab a hold of Daryl’s other wrist. His hand kept slipping off the wrist, due to Daryl’s struggling and the blood all over Randall, but Daryl still couldn’t get away.

               _Glenn, please. Please. Please help me._

               “Lemme go!” Daryl finally shrieked.

               “Daryl?! Get off him you fuck!” Suddenly Daryl was ripped away from Randall, his wrist was no longer in Randall’s hand. Instead, someone else had grabbed both of Daryl’s wrist and in a blind panic, Daryl screamed and thrashed. _He still had me. His goons had come and now they have me._

_Glenn. Glenn. Glenn. GLENN!_

               “Daryl! Daryl, it’s okay! It’s me; Glenn. You’re okay now! You’re safe.” It took a few minutes, but eventually, that familiar voice broke through the haze of Daryl’s panic. Instead of dirty, meaty hands grabbing him and hauling away from the farm, Daryl could feel Glenn’s calloused hands all along his arms, holding him steady. Daryl opened his eyes quickly, blinking against the tears, to see Glenn kneeling in front of him.

               His eyes were full of concern as he wiped a thumb under both of Daryl’s eyes and rubbed Daryl’s arms.

               “Glenn?” Daryl finally whispered and Glenn quickly nodded.

               “Yeah. It’s okay Daryl. You’re safe now. He can’t grab you again.” Glenn soothed quietly and it was then that Daryl realized he was no longer in the shed. He was outside of the shed, with it still in view. Maggie was in the doorway of the shed, alternating between looking at Daryl and Randall. His face was set in a grim frown with her arms folded over his chest.

               “What the fuck were you doing near him?” Glenn scolded lightly. Daryl could feel his cheeks beginning to burn with shame as he calmed down. Now that he could think clearly and he wasn’t in a state of panic, Daryl could see how this had all been pretty stupid. What was worse, was Glenn being _disappointed_ in Daryl. Daryl never wanted to be the reason of Glenn’s pain and disappointment. Even after all he’d done against Daryl’s trust, Glenn was the closest person to Daryl in his entire nine years of life. Glenn meant more to him than his daddy or his mama.

               “Don’t you understand how dangerous that was?! He could have killed you.” Glenn continued to scold while wiping the blood off of Daryl’s wrist and arm. Up close, Daryl could see that Glenn was shaking just as much as he was, and his heart sunk to the floor.

               “I’m sorry.” Daryl’s head hung low.

               “Sorry won’t cut it! You have to think and be careful.” Glenn said, rubbing a little harder than before on Daryl’s arm. Despite it beginning to hurt, Daryl didn’t say a word and simply stared down at the dirty ground. “That was so irresponsible of you. Don’t you know you don’t _ever_ go out on your own? Or that going near the stranger could be bad?”

               “I’m sorry.”

               “Daryl –”

               “Glenn that’s enough. He wasn’t hurt and that’s all that matters.” Maggie finally spoke up, much to Daryl’s surprise. Both Glenn and Daryl looked over at Maggie who was gently smiling at Daryl. “I think Daryl has learned his lesson and yelling at him isn’t making it better.”

               That seemed to work as Glenn yelped and pulled Daryl into a squeezing hug. Daryl blinked, not used to being hug after someone had yelled at him. Usually yelling would end in hitting.

               “I’m sorry. I was just so worried when I couldn’t find you and then I heard you yelling, and when I saw Randall had grabbed you.” Glenn murmured softly, stroking Daryl’s hair. Without realizing it, Daryl had snuggled closer to Glenn’s touch, enjoying the feeling. His worries and fears were beginning to melt away; which was something that _never_ happened before.

               “I’m sorry I was stupid. I promise t’ stay away.” Daryl mumbled quietly and Glenn sighed.

               “Daryl, you weren’t stupid. Reckless, yes, but not stupid. We all make mistakes.” Glenn said before pulling back and standing up. Cheeks red, Daryl tried to brush himself off and wipe away any last tears. It was bad enough that Glenn had seen him like that, but for Maggie to have seen it also was a bit humiliating.

               After all, she and Daryl were still in this silent war of who would win over Glenn’s attention each day.

               “Glenn’s right. That was pretty reckless, so don’t do that again.” Maggie smirked and Daryl felt his ears burn. He mumbled under his breath, earning chuckles from both Glenn and Maggie. Quickly ducking away from Glenn who was trying to ruffle his hair, Glenn looked back at the shed.

               “Is he gonna stay there long?” Daryl finally asked, causing the atmosphere’s temperature to drop several degrees. Immediately, Maggie and Glenn’s expressions turned somber.

               “We don’t know. Dale, Rick and Shane are arguing over it.” Glenn admitted softly. “We’re hoping he’s gone by tomorrow.”

               Daryl was quiet for a few moments. “Does that mean Shane’ll kill him?”

               For that, Glenn and Maggie didn’t have an answer and it made Daryl feel even sicker.

 

* * *

 

               Beth tried to kill herself.

               Glenn rubbed a hand down the length of his face tiredly, from where he was sitting on the porch to the Greene house. Daryl was huddle up beside him, touching shoulders but not hugging, and staring out into the fields. Carl was on the other side of Glenn, sniffling quietly.

               No one said a word.

               _Thank god for Lori and Maggie. At least, thank however, because I doubt there is a god listening now._ Glenn thought bitterly and sighed heavily.

               Thanks to Dale, Rick and Shane had decided to take Randall out to some yard blindfolded and let him go there. Apparently, it was the most humane thing to do, even though Dale still argued against their decision. Glenn could see where Dale was coming from and maybe once upon a time he too would have agreed. But now he had a family to think about; this group was much more to him than just a bunch of survivors to Glenn – everyone except Shane, that is. Glenn had to protect his family.

               He had to protect Daryl.

               He was starting to understand all of Rick’s worries and stress. Except now Rick had to worry about Carl, Lori _and_ a new baby. That bombshell had been dropped by Lori earlier and everyone was _still_ reeling from it. To have a baby born into this world felt so cruel, and yet, Glenn could see that it brought a bit of hope and spark into everyone’s eyes. Even Andrea who hadn’t looked so hopeful in so long after Amy’s death.

               Still, despite being a family, things weren’t perfect. People still were wary of Daryl. Many of them still treated the kid like he was some kind of an adult instead of a nine-year-old boy. People had begun to change after what Shane had done to Daryl in front of the barn, but no one else dared to speak up or _help_ Daryl.

               It annoyed Glenn but right now he couldn’t afford to start any fights.

               On the bright side, Maggie and Daryl seemed to be warming up to one another. If you counted warming up to someone as, only insulting each other _five_ times a day instead of the usual ten or so. However, they faked their smiles or pleasantries for Glenn and Glenn appreciated it. He was proud of Daryl. He’d come so far since that scared, aggressive boy he had met all those months ago in their first camp. _That felt like a lifetime ago._

               “I’m gonna go see her.” Daryl finally muttered, standing up before Glenn could say anything. Glenn bit his lip, stopping himself from trying to keep Daryl from going in and turned to Carl.

               “You should leave her alone.” Carl whispered tiredly. “She might not want the company.” Carl’s eyes never left the ground, even as he wiped his nose. Gently, Glenn put an arm around his shoulder and he looked over at Daryl who was now standing by the door. Daryl paused to looked back at Glenn, and Glenn almost smiled. He had that annoyed expression of determination on his face, one that Glenn had seen in action. To anyone else it looked angry and frustrated, but Glenn knew it was how Daryl showed determination. He was going to help Beth, one way or another.

               “The last thing Beth’ll want is to be alone.” Daryl said softly. “’S why she’s in this mess to begin with.” With that, Daryl closed the door behind him and stomped into the house. Leaving Glenn alone with Carl.

               The two sat quietly together, with Glenn rubbing Carl’s back before his smile grew. If anyone had asked him a year ago, that he’d be comforting a twelve-year-old boy, and acting fatherly to another young boy, he would have laughed. This was Glenn Rhee, the man who was _terrible_ with kids. The man who couldn’t even take care of himself.

               How much had changed in a year.

               Inside the house, Daryl moved his way up the stairs towards Beth’s room, easily avoiding Maggie and Hershel. It wasn’t that he didn’t want them to see him or that he was afraid, but he didn’t really want to deal with this many grieving people. Plus, if any of them had caught him, they’d probably keep him away from Beth.

               There was a small object in one of his pockets, that felt heavier and heavier with every step towards Beth’s room. It was a small object, no bigger than the palm of his hand. It was made of wood that Daryl had found by the abandoned chimney, and carved into a distinct shape. Carl had tried to help him make it and it was finally done.

               Just in time.

               Quietly, the door creaked open and Daryl stepped into Beth’s room. He took a deep breath and looked at her, still in her bed.

               Unlike before, this time she was alert and wide awake. Her eyes were red and her face was pale and full or tear tracks. She still had an IV attached to her, but now, she had large stark white bandages wrapped around both of her wrists. Daryl swallowed heavily upon seeing them.

               Instantly, Beth scowled at him. “What are you doing here?”

               “I – I came to see how you was.” Daryl cleared his throat and toed the floor with a dirty boot. Beth was silent for a few moments, and Daryl didn’t know if it was okay to say anything else. The silence was stifling for him.

               “Well I’m fine, so you can leave me alone.” Beth rolled her eyes and turned her head away from Daryl. “I don’t need anyone watching my every move. Especially not a little kid.”

               Daryl frowned. “Hey now. It ain’t my fault you tried to pussy your way out.” He hissed, causing Beth to immediately look at him. Her eyes were wide now, with unshed tears but her face was contorted with rage.

               “How dare you! You don’t know anything! I don’t want to be alive in this stupid world!” Beth snarled, hot tears racing down her face. Despite his hammering heart, Daryl growled and stood firm. “I never asked to be saved, pussy or not!”

               “No one wants to be stuck with fucking walkers.” Daryl hissed, watching as Beth flinched at that word. “I know yer upset ‘bout yer mama and brother, but killing yoursel’ ain’t gonna bring them back.” Beth choked back a sob and her hands clenched into fists at her side.

               “Shut up! You don’t know anything. You’re just a dumb kid.” Beth yelled and Daryl’s temper flared.

               “I ain’t! Your more of a dumb kid than me, if ya thought killin’ yourself wasn’t the most selfish thing ya could do!” Daryl yelled back, and this time a sob did escape from Beth. Daryl was immediately by her bedside, hands twitching at his side. He wasn’t very good at this comforting game and didn’t know what to do with a girl who was crying and recently just tried to kill herself.

               But what he did know was that when some people are mad, they need to let it out.

               “It’s not fair! It’s not fair! I didn’t ask for them to help me! I didn’t want their help!” Beth sobbed again and Daryl bit his lip.

               “But they _need_ you Beth.” Daryl’s voice was much softer than before as he twiddled with the blankets on Beth’s bed. Beth’s sobs continued but at least she wasn’t screaming anymore. Daryl too this as a sign to continue. “Yer daddy needs you and Maggie. He’s hurting too so he needs his girls. And Maggie needs you, an’ Patricia and Jimmy. They love you and they can’t lose you too. And Carl. You mean a lot to Carl. He’s so scared right now.”

               “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” Beth whispered through her tears. “It just hurts so much.”

               “That’s okay.” Daryl said. He could clearly remember how much it had _hurt_ when he’d lost Merle. Or how much it hurt whenever he thought that Glenn wouldn’t make it back. Hell, it even hurt when he heard about Beth trying to kill herself. Despite the barriers and trying to keep everyone away, they had all managed to worm their way into Daryl’s heart.

               “It hurts a helluva lot.” Daryl agreed quietly before fishing through his pocket. He grabbed the small wooden object in his hand and pulled it out. He played with it with his fingers until he finally held it out to Beth. Sniffling, Beth wiped her eyes before staring at the object in Daryl’s hands. She could see his little face was red with a blush as he squirmed under her gaze.

               In his hand, was a tiny wooden heart.

               “’S fer you.” Daryl mumbled quietly. “Carl helped make it, but we wanted to give you something to get better. Ya gotta lot of people that like you here. I’d ‘preciate it if you didn’t die.” Daryl dipped his head down before presenting the wooden heart again to Beth.

               Beth was speechless as she stared at the wooden heart. Realizing, that this must have taken a lot of courage for Daryl to do, and that it wasn’t something he normally did, Beth quickly grabbed the heart. She smiled softly when Daryl scratched behind his neck.

               This little boy was charming. This small, redneck boy who came from a backwater family and town, was sweeter than any child Beth had ever met before. And despite living with _so much pain,_ so much hurt and heartache, he had more love in his tiny body than most people had in their _lives._

               “Oh Daryl, it’s beautiful.” Beth whispered, touching the heart gently.

               Daryl blushed again. “Well Carl wanted to give ya somethin’ but he didn’t know what to make, so I helped carve it. It’s kinda messy.”

               “It’s perfect.” Beth beamed and held the wooden heart close to her own beating heart. “Thank you for making it. And thank you for coming to see me.”

               “Yer welcome.” Daryl rubbed his neck again. “Carl will wanna see you too, but he thinks you don’t want visitors.” Daryl explained while Beth observed the wooden heart again. “I could go get him.”

               “That would be wonderful. I guess I really don’t want to be alone.” Beth replied softly and Daryl nodded.

               “Being alone sucks. You think you do, but you don’t.” Daryl agreed, already heading for the door. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Beth move behind him. Quickly turning around, Daryl could see Beth looking right at him, still holding the wooden heart, and looking happier than she had in weeks.

               “And Daryl,” she paused. Daryl swallowed. “Come back with Carl. I think we can all stay together for now. Don’t you?”

               Daryl ducked out of the room, before Beth could see the smile on his face. As quick as he could, he raced through the house and to the porch where Glenn and Carl still were. Upon mentioning Beth and the wooden heart, Carl was on his feet faster than Glenn had thought possible. Neither boy wasted another second outside, before rushing up the stairs and to Beth’s room, leaving behind Maggie and Glenn.

               Glenn chuckled, remaining where he was on the porch, hearing Maggie sit down next to him. He beamed when Maggie leaned her head against his shoulder and the two linked arms. They shared a quiet but peaceful moment together, watching the sun set in the fields and feeling the cool breeze on their skin. Winter was coming soon.          

               “He’s a good kid you got there.” Maggie finally said, causing Glenn to grin with pride. Maggie had heard the entire conversation with Beth, and at first, she had wanted to intervene when the yelling started. But slowly she came to realize that Beth _needed_ this. She needed Daryl’s help.

               Every day that boy surprised her.

               “Yeah.” Glenn agreed. “He’s pretty amazing. I got lucky.” Maggie nodded against him and the two enjoyed the quiet evening together, both knowing that Beth was safe with Carl and Daryl. Hopefully this meant that she was on the road to recovery.

 

* * *

 

               Daryl was screaming.

               Everyone was screaming.

               There was the heat coming from the hot fire, and the smell of burning flesh.

               There were the sounds of panicked and pained screamed all across the farm.

               Worse yet, there was the sounds of _hundreds_ of moaning walkers headed right for them.

               Daryl’s worst nightmare was playing out before his eyes when he saw an _army_ of walkers coming out from the trees and headed their way. They easily broke over fences and scrambled towards the living.

               Rick and Shane had returned with Randall late that night, both arguing over what to do with the kid. Their yelling had caused everyone else to come out to the fields where they were. That was when Shane had pulled out a gun and shot Randall in the head. There were several more frantic screams and two more gunshots before Rick and Shane were wrestling. That was when Daryl saw the walkers.

               At first it only looked like a dozen or so that had come over the hills through the fences. He tried to warn everyone, itching to grab his crossbow. However, no one was listening while Rick and Shane fought. Then, Daryl realized that it wasn’t a couple dozen walkers.

               It was well over a hundred, and Daryl screamed.

               He’d never seen this many walkers at once. Not even on the highway during that horde. This horde was much larger, full of _hungry_ walkers racing right at them.

               Daryl’s scream had stopped the brawl and everyone else looked up before the women were screaming too. The group froze in panic and everyone was scrambling to get away until Rick ordered everyone to get back to the cars and _go._

               Daryl didn’t need to be told twice and he raced towards the campsite, stuffing whatever he could into the nearest car. He could hear the others scrambling about to do the same thing, all the while shooting at oncoming walkers closest to them.

               Daryl didn’t see a lot that was going on; his brain was a muddled mess of _survival_ and fear. He could see Hershel on his porch firing off his shotgun at oncoming walkers when suddenly the barn was ablaze in flames. Daryl fell back when the barn suddenly caught fire and he scrambled away from it.

               Behind him, a walker squealed upon smelling him, reaching out with decaying hands to grab Daryl and pull him towards his teeth. Daryl huffed, swinging his crossbow around and firing directly at the walker’s head. The walker fell with a heavy thump and Daryl scrambled to get away.

               He glanced around to see several members of their group, already in cars, driving around with someone shooting at the walkers around them. Rick and Carl were running towards Hershel with Lori, Patricia, Maggie and Beth.

               “Daryl! Let’s go. Get to the cars!” Dale yelled out, suddenly coming up beside Daryl. Daryl swallowed numbly before shooting an arrow at another walker beside them. Dale had a gun in hand and fired off at several more walkers before Daryl nodded. He didn’t even mind as Dale had grabbed his hand.

               There were more screams. This time a woman.

               Daryl hoped it wasn’t Beth or Carol.

               More moans and shrieks.

               The sounds of gunfire and car’s running filled the air.

               Daryl desperately searched around for Glenn. His heart was hammering in his little chest and his entire body was shaking. He could feel Dale squeeze his hand while they ran. Daryl’s eyes darted around the camp. He could see Maggie and Beth in a car with Carol and T-Dog. Andrea was racing towards a flatbed while Hershel ran with Rick, Lori and Carl.

               “Daryl! Daryl!” Daryl jerked to a stop, almost dragging Dale with him upon hearing the sound of Glenn screaming for him. Daryl spun around, looking everywhere, but he could only see walkers for miles and miles.

               “Glenn?! Glenn?! Glenn!” Daryl screamed, flinching when several walkers jumped to head their way. His hands shook as he fired the crossbow again. The arrow missed its head and instead imbedded itself in a walker’s shoulder. This didn’t stop the walker for a second. Beside him, Dale fired his gun at the group of walkers, easily taking them out.

               However, the noise drew another group of walkers in their direction and Daryl stumbled back, still clutching tightly to Dale’s hand.

               “Daryl! _Daryl!”_

               Daryl almost cried at hearing Glenn’s screams. _Where was he? Please be safe Please be safe._ Daryl’s heart dropped when he heard the sound of Dale’s gun clicking. _They were out of ammo._ Most of the walkers were far enough from the two that Daryl thought they could run. He saw Dale pull out a pistol and Daryl pulled the crossbow over his back, ready to make a run for it.

               When suddenly a cold, dead hand wrapped around his ankle.

               Daryl shrieked _(Merle would be ashamed)_ when his hand was ripped from Dale’s and he was dragged to the ground. He twisted around to see the rotting corpse of an elderly man, with only an upper body left, had grabbed a hold of Daryl. Another walker, with a gangly limp was heading towards Daryl, white eyes flaring hungrily and Daryl wanted to scream.

               This was it.

               This was how he was going to die.

               He wouldn’t get to see Glenn. Or say goodbye to anyone.

               He was going to die.       

               Just as the limping walker was right on Daryl, there was a larger body over him, with a familiar old hat falling to the ground. Daryl flinched when blood spurted onto him and suddenly the walker had let go of him. Once free, Daryl scrambled away from the walker and away from Dale, eyes wide with horror.

               He almost threw up upon realizing that Dale had sacrificed himself for Daryl and was currently being _eaten alive._

               Dale’s knees gave out and he fell to the ground, moaning and screaming as the walker tore into his stomach. Daryl felt light-headed upon seeing the blood and flesh ooze from Dale and along the walker and his throat tightened.

               “No! No!” Daryl screaming, forcing the walker to look up at him. A chunk of meat felt out of the walkers mouth and into the gaping hole of Dale’s stomach and Daryl could see it’s bloody rotting face. “No! No!” Daryl snatched the pistol off the ground and quicker than he could think, Daryl aimed and fired.

               A clean head shot to the walker eating Dale.

               Another to the walker that had grabbed Daryl and three more to three separate walkers near them. Before firing the last round, with tears racing down his cheeks and body shaking, Daryl heard a voice.

               “N…o…n…o…” Daryl froze, hearing Dale’s pained grunts to him. He ran over and knelt at Dale’s side, unable to look away from the blood and guts that were Dale’s stomach. Daryl could see his vision blurring with tears and a choked sob passed through his lips.

               “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry old man.” Daryl cried over and over.

               “G…go…Dar…yl…” Dale wheezed and Daryl sobbed even harder. _This was his fault. He’d done this to Dale and he could do nothing about it._

               “I’m sorry.” Daryl whispered. Shakily, he raised the gun one more time. He could barely see through all the tears in his eyes, but he could see enough. Enough for what he needed to do.

               Then without another word, Daryl fired the gun. Right into Dale’s head.

               There was no more noise and Daryl felt himself leaning dangerously.

               Suddenly, something had grabbed him and Daryl was kicking and screaming again. Whoever had grabbed him, didn’t have cold dead hands, and they were _running._ Daryl blurrily saw the shape of Maggie Greene above him and he stared over Maggie’s shoulder when he realized that she wasn’t a walker.

               “Glenn! Glenn!” Daryl screamed. He screamed again when he realized that Maggie was jumping into a car. It was a car with Carol instead and no one else. _Glenn wasn’t here. He wasn’t here._ “No! No! Glenn! Glenn!” Daryl screamed and kicked and squirmed in Maggie’s arms, but she never once faulted. And once she had closed the door the car had kicked into reverse and was pulling away from the horde of walkers.

               “Glenn! Glenn! Glenn!” Daryl could only sob as burning remains of the farm grew farther and farther into the distance.

_Please be okay._

_Please don’t leave me now._

 


	5. See Me at My Worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this took a while but hey, at least it wasn't almost a year! Only a month! I'd say that's pretty good for me, considering how I can be. This chapter is a bit meh for me. It's slower than the others but chalk full of angst, fluff and comfort especially after that last cliff hanger! However, I still loved writing it and we're getting to the better parts of the story arc and timeline! Get ready for what's to come. Thank you to all who continue to patiently wait for updates and read this fic. Your kudos and comments always motivate me to write and make me smile every time I read/see them so thank you! Without any of you, this fic would be done a long time ago!
> 
> I hope you enjoy chapter 5 and as always comments and kudos are appreciated!

               Daryl was a quiet kid. That was something that everyone had learned since becoming this rag-tag team of a family. Even Maggie and her family were quick to learn that.

               Daryl was quiet and often kept to himself. He got loud very quickly, but usual only when he was angry or frustrated. Eventually it was Glenn or Rick or Carol who could calm him back down and keep him quiet. However, Daryl’s ability to be quiet was _unnerving_ to Maggie. She could remember her own childhood that was full of laughter, being loud and never quiet. To see a child so young, so quick to keep quiet (better than even some adults) frightened Maggie to her core.

               Of course, upon his arrival and during his checkup Maggie and her father had seen the scars. They’d seen this tiny, starving body littered with scars and wounds that screamed abuse. Years and years of abuse. Of course, Daryl would be quiet.

               He probably learned to be quiet.

               To not make a sound for _anything._

               But it was Glenn that kept Daryl from going mute or from driving away from everyone. It was Glenn who was fiercely protective over this little boy, and who had chosen Daryl over Maggie when it came to safety and secrets. It was Glenn who helped Daryl come out of his shell and it was Glenn that calmed Daryl down when the threat of walkers became too much.

               Maggie had seen their bond grow deeper than ever before and she had seen their bond nearly destroyed _because of her._

               Now there was no Glenn.

               Or Rick.

               Or Hershel and Beth.

               Maggie didn’t know if there was anyone else other than Carol or Daryl. Carol who was still crying as she drove them down a back road towards the highway. It was a long shot but the women were hoping that someone else would be thinking the same thing that they were and trying to get back to the highway. Apparently, that was where the group had last broken off before they met up on the Hershel farm. Maggie prayed _(what’s the point of praying? Do you think anyone is listening?)_ that they would find her family.

               Maggie bit her lip and glanced back into the back seat where Daryl had crawled too after he had cried himself hoarse. He stayed in her lap longer than she expected but eventually he crawled out and curled into himself along the back seat of the car. Where he sat. Silent.

               Daryl hadn’t uttered a word for over an hour, since their abrupt departure from the farm. Maggie could still feel the heat of the fire that torched her farm down, and she could still smell the stench of burning flesh of walkers that had invaded her home. Walkers that had _destroyed_ her home. _There was no doubt that walkers weren’t human after this._ She glanced back over at Carol, catching Carol’s eye before nodding in Daryl’s direction.

               Carol looked like she was about to sob again, but sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. Maggie could feel her stomach drop but she left the topic alone. If Carol didn’t know what to do about Daryl, then Maggie had _no clue._ She didn’t know what they would do with a traumatized, cationic child in the midst of an apocalyptic world. _Would Daryl snap out of this and return to his old self? Would Daryl become angrier and darker? Would it be better to end his suffering now?_

               Maggie could feel her breath catch in his throat at that last thought. She couldn’t believe that something like that would cross her mind, especially after Beth. And yet, it was because of Beth that Maggie found herself thinking these thoughts. _Would it had been better for Beth to let her go?_ Maggie could never forgive herself if she had let Beth die, but for the first time she wondered if she had been selfish. Maggie looked over at Carol, who turned her entire concentration onto the road before them and she swallowed. She didn’t want to think about doing anything to Daryl, but she wondered what Daryl was even thinking right now. To have his only family – _the only person who ever gave a shit about me –_ ripped away from him, without knowing if Glenn was alive or not. It must be hard.

               Maggie was having a hard-enough time at the thought of Glenn possibly being dead. It felt as if her own heart were rotting inside her chest, slowly draining her until she too became a mindless walker. It had been such a short time but already the pain of losing Glenn hurt more than anything else. _If this was how I felt, I can’t even imagine what Daryl must be feeling._

               Twisting in her seat, Maggie attempted to get a better look at Daryl. The boy was curled in on himself as much as possible. He looked more like a small lump rather than a little boy. His face was entirely hidden from Maggie and he hadn’t moved an inch in over an hour. In fact, Maggie would be worried that Daryl wasn’t _breathing_ but she could see the tiniest rise and fall of Daryl’s chest and body, signaling that he was still alive.

               Though, for how long?

               “Daryl,” Maggie said softly, wincing when they went over a particularly large bump. The boy didn’t so much as flinch. “Daryl, sweetheart, everything is going to be okay.” Maggie thought of Beth over and over, of how Beth used to get scared at night and how she would be the one to protect her and soothe her comforts. She poured all of her emotions into those memories to try and help Daryl.

               “You listen to Maggie.” Carol said quietly. She kept her eyes trained on the road but her knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel tightly. “We’ll find them. Everyone’ll be okay and we’ll find them, you hear?”

               Maggie bit her lip, afraid to correct Carol. Despite what her heart desperately wanted, Maggie couldn’t help but think about _how could everyone have survived that?_ Still Daryl didn’t move or say a word.

               “I know you’re upset and scared right now,” Maggie continued, not offended by Daryl’s inability to move. “So am I. So is Carol. We’re all scared right now. But if anything, we have each other. We have each other and we’re not alone and that’s the best thing we can ask for right now. We’re going back to the highway to see if anyone else is there too.”

               “You remember the highway?” Carol said. “I bet you Rick and Glenn and everyone else is waiting there for us right now! We’re all probably thinking the same thing and soon enough we’ll find them. It’s going to be alright.”

               “Carol…” Maggie whispered. She was silenced by a sudden sharp glare from Carol. Never before had she seen such a look on Carol’s face before, and it was enough to shut her up. She didn’t feel comfortable giving Daryl false hope, but looking back at the still form, she couldn’t help but wonder if false hope was something Daryl needed.

               Turning around in her seat, Maggie sighed and decided to let Daryl be by himself before her eyes suddenly caught onto something on the highway.

               “Oh my god, that’s my mom’s car!” She cried out, pointing to an old car parked along the side of the road. “And my dad’s truck!” Right next to the parked car was an old white truck, both of which still had their lights on and Maggie could make out the shapes of people coming out of them. “Carol, it’s them! It’s them, pull over!”

               Carol’s eyes widened but she did as Maggie said and pulled over beside the truck and car just as everyone turned to look at them. Maggie nearly jumped when she suddenly found Daryl’s face inches away from hers as he tried to look out the front window. His eyes were red and dull but they were filled with a spark that Maggie hadn’t seen since before the barn incident. Taking a close look, Maggie almost sobbed when her father and Beth got out of the truck with T-Dog. _They were alive, her family was alive._

               Rick, Lori and Carol got out of the car, immediately embracing Hershel and his family and T-Dog. Maggie could barely open the car door, before she was sprinting to her father and Beth. The small family of three cried together, mourning the loss of Patricia and Jimmy, but also crying with relief upon still having each other. Carol and Lori hugged each other tightly, before Carol held onto Carl who was crying quietly.

               Rick smiled, feeling his own tears threatening to fall down his cheeks, as he observed his group. He wondered if this was it and he could feel his heart ache at the losses they suffered. Jimmy and Patricia were dead for sure and Rick wished he could take away the pain that Hershel’s family would suffer. His own heart burned at the notion that Shane was also probably dead. _I was going to kill him myself if the walkers hadn’t shown up. I was going to kill my best friend._ He didn’t know if Andrea or Glenn had made it out, as he hadn’t seen them go down or leave. And Daryl…

               Oh Daryl.

               Rick could feel new tears building up at the injustice of it all, that Sophia and Daryl had died when he had lived. That these _children_ had suffered until their dying breaths and then some while he lived on. _How was any of it fair?_

               However, during his moment of pity, Rick chanced a look at the green SUV that Maggie and Carol had come through, just in time to see a small body poke around one of the open doors. A small body, covered in blood and dirt with ripped sleeves from a shirt that was too big and jeans full of holes. Dirty blonde hair poked out from a familiar hat and Rick almost collapsed.

               “Thank god.” He croaked, causing everyone else to stop in what they were doing. Rick could see tears threatening to leak out of those big blue eyes, full of hurt and suffering. In less than two strides, Rick had reached Daryl and swooped the small boy into his arms.

               His heart broke again when Daryl wrapped skinny (much too skinny, Rick realized for the first time, now that he had Daryl in his arms) around Rick and grabbed onto his shirt as tight as he could. Rick could feel Daryl trembling with sobs that were slowly becoming noisier and nosier the longer he sat in Rick’s arms.

               “Oh Daryl, oh Daryl, I’m so sorry.” Rick whispered tightly, burning his face into Daryl’s bloody shirt. Daryl’s grip on Rick’s shirt only tightened and his sobs increased. By now, Carl had made his way over to the two, looking up at Daryl and Rick knelt down quickly. Instantly, Carl latched onto Daryl in a tight hug, and while Daryl didn’t move to hug the other boy, he had turned his face so that it was buried in Carl’s shirt.

               There wasn’t a dry eye all around them, as everyone let the youngest member of their group mourn.

               _He was so young._

_Too young._

_Too innocent._     

               _Why?_

               “I know. I know.” Rick murmured softly, as Daryl continued to cry. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Daryl that everything would be okay; that everything _would_ be okay because it wasn’t. It wasn’t okay and Daryl was allowed to hurt. Just as they all were in pain over the loss of their _home,_ of their security and of their family, Daryl should mourn. Daryl was allowed to cry and scream about the unjust of it all and the unfairness of this world. Daryl, who was much too young to understand this, knew better than anyone what this pain felt like. Daryl, who had lost the one person who had showed him an ounce of kindness in his nine years of life. “I know. I know.”

               The stayed like that for a few moments. The others were too deep in grief or too uncomfortable to break up the moment in order to move on. However, the moment was cut short by the low hum of a motorcycle. A motorcycle that was getting closer and closer to the small group.

               Daryl was the first to react, by flinging himself out of Rick’s arms and staring at the road behind them. Out of any of them, Daryl would recognize the sound of his brother’s motorcycle. He would know that motorcycle any time, any day. He could feel his heat beating painfully in his chest and his throat tightened over a hard lump within it.

               He and the others could see a motorcycle coming closer and closer from within the distance, until they could make out the shape of two figures. Daryl felt like he was going to throw up and his fingers itched at his side for the crossbow that was still in the car. Although, as the two figures got closer and closer to their group, Daryl almost started crying again.

               Daryl watched as the motorcycle came to a complete stop, the kickstand was barely up before the driver was stumbling off and looking around the group wildly. The man scanned over everyone’s faces, smile growing upon seeing each person alive before lingering on Maggie and then freezing on Daryl.

               Daryl felt himself choke up and he suddenly was crying again. This time it was messy, wet and desperate as he flung himself towards the figure.

               _“Glenn!”_

               All was right in the world again.

 

* * *

 

 

               Glenn hadn’t let go of Daryl for hours. Not since they had been reunited. It wasn’t as if Daryl had given Glenn any chance to let go. He’d held onto Glenn even tighter than with Rick and hadn’t let go since. Normally, Daryl would have been embarrassed by such a display of weakness but in this moment, he didn’t care. He didn’t care what anyone thought or what anyone felt. All that matter was Glenn was _alive._ Glenn was live and safe.

               Daryl knew that he wouldn’t have been alone if Glenn had never showed up. At least Rick and Carl had been alive and Hershel and Carol, but it wouldn’t have been the same. These people were growing on Daryl but none of them were Glenn. None of them would ever be the person that Glenn was to Daryl. None of them would mean the same to him that Glenn did.

               Daryl would be forever grateful that Glenn had been alive. Even if he had brought Shane with him.

               However, it only made him realize how attached he had gotten to Glenn, and to everyone. He had realized just how quickly Glenn could have been killed in this cruel world. In just the blink of an eye and Daryl could only stare and watch, unable to do _anything._

               Just like with Dale.

               _Dale…_

               Daryl immediately jerked away from the thought and buried himself into Glenn even further. Glenn almost cooed but refrained from and instead rubbed a soothing hand up and down Daryl’s back from under the blanket they were huddled under.

               It was dark out and the day was long past them already. It had been over a day since the barn had burned down but they were no closer to finding a new home than before. Rick was nearly at wits end, trying to come up with a plan. He knew that everyone was depending on him to get them to safety, that Lori and Carl and the _baby_ were depending on him.

               The air was cold, temperatures plummeting with the winter season setting in. Rick knew they would never survive this winter if they couldn’t find a permanent shelter. The fire and blankets were barely enough and if they wanted to save gas and fuel, the cars weren’t any better. _They needed to find shelter._

               “Rick, what are we going to do?” Lori finally asked, where she was hugging Carl tightly to her to keep them both warm.

               Rick sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “I don’t know. We can’t live like this, we’ll never survive.”

               “Of course, we will.” Shane snorted from beside T-Dog. He still wasn’t on anyone’s favorite list right now. But Rick felt it was a second chance for him that Shane had survived and he vowed to do better. “If the walkers don’t kill us all then the frigid weather will freeze us in our sleep. We need a plan.” Everyone side-eyed the ex-cop, agreeing with him but not willing to speak up.

               “Oh, and I don’t suppose you have a plan?” Rick snarled, feeling his patience ween. The others were surprised and leaned away from the two men. “After all, weren’t you the one who _wanted_ to take over and lead? Take me out so you can lead?”

               The others gasped as Glenn held Daryl closer to him and shifted beside Maggie. _I hope I don’t regret saving you._ Glenn had been the last off the barn and jumped onto Merle’s motorcycle at the last second, with his heart pounding and tears racing down his cheeks when he couldn’t find Daryl. He could only hope that someone had picked him up and taken him to safety. The others had forgotten Daryl once before when walkers attacked the camp and Daryl had been left to defend himself. However, this time there were too many walkers for Daryl to defend on his own, and he couldn’t drive. Upon seeing Shane, nearly cornered by walkers, Glenn had made one of the stupidest decisions of his life.

               Shane may have no problem letting people die to survive, but Glenn couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to look Daryl in the eyes if he saw him again, knowing that he had let Shane die. Full of pain and fear of losing Daryl, Glenn had yelled at Shane to get on and he rode off with Shane alive and well. The closer Glenn got to the highway, the more he began to wonder if his decision had been good. Shane didn’t say a word the entire time but at least he wasn’t threatening Glenn. Upon seeing the group alive, with a few less members but still alive, Glenn had almost turned around to keep Shane away. However, every thought disappeared at the thought of seeing Daryl again.

               _This kid wormed right into my heart._

_And I can’t let go._

               Looking down, Glenn noticed how exhausted Daryl was. He was pale and barely keeping his eyes opening. The adorable, sleepy look brought a smile to Glenn’s face, until his hand brushed against the dried blood stuck to Daryl’s face.

               Gently, he pulled his hat down over Daryl’s eyes and pulled the blanket up tighter.

               “Go to sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Glenn whispered, so that no one else would hear. Daryl barely managed to drag his eyes up to look at Glenn, almost as if pleading that he didn’t want to sleep. Glenn couldn’t blame him. After all he’d been through, who would want to sleep and risk waking up to all of this being fake? “Sleep. We’ll still be here when you wake up. I promise.” He rubbed Daryl’s back once more, before Daryl finally surrendered to his fatigue.

               Eventually he closed his eyes and soon enough his breathing evened out. Only once Glenn was sure that Daryl was asleep did he focus his attention back onto the group. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Maggie looking at him and Daryl and he soon found her eyes. Maggie glanced down at the slumbering boy before looking back up at Daryl with a smile.

               “Thank you.” Glenn whispered softly, while the others all argued and bickered. Maggie’s smile only widened and she nodded. “Thank you for watching over him.” He could see her eyes water and her smile waver but she never cried.

               “He means a lot to you. And to everyone in this group now.” Maggie said quietly. “I know everyone hear would be devastated if Daryl had been left behind or killed. Even Shane, in his own crazy way.” She frowned, glancing at Shane who was still arguing with Rick and Lori and the others. “I would have missed him too.”

               Glenn could feel one of his eyebrows raise and a grin was twitching at his lips. “Really? You’re caring for the brat who was going to out your secret to everyone?”

               Maggie shrugged. “He’s a brat but he’s a good kid. He loves you a lot, enough to make friends with me for you.”

               “And what about you?”

               “I’m willing to play nice too. He’s not so bad. Surely, better company than Shane will ever be.” Maggie replied and Glenn resisted the urge to growl at Shane.

               “When Daryl grows up he’ll be ten times the man Shane is. Maybe even better than Rick.” Glenn said, causing Maggie to snicker into her hand. The two ignored a look from Hershel before sharing another smile.

               _“We’re all infected!”_

               Rick’s sudden shout had caused Maggie and Glenn to turn their attention to him. As was the rest of the group’s attention. Everyone now had eyes for Rick, even Carl, and all arguing had stop. The silence was eerie and terrifying but not even Glenn knew what to say.

               “What?” Lori finally asked and Rick slumped in on himself. He wrapped his arms around himself looking much smaller and more vulnerable than Glenn had seen him before. This was the same man who had hid in a tank for hours in a horde of zombies. The same man who had risked his life to look for a racist older brother to Daryl and a bag of guns.

               “Rick, what do you mean we’re all infected?” Carol asked, hand clutched to her chest. Rick swallowed heavily and Glenn thought his heart was going to sink to the floor.

               “Dr. Jenner, he pulled me aside at the CDC.” Glenn felt himself shudder at the mention of the doctor who had nearly blown them all up. He swallowed, fearing that nothing good would come from this. “He told me that this virus is in all of us. Right now. Every single human on the planet is already infected with this virus and there’s nothing we can do to remove it.”

               “What does that mean?!” T-Dog hissed, causing Rick to sigh. Glenn wondered if now would be the perfect time to panic. “Are we all going to turn into walkers at any moment then?!”

               “No.” Rick said firmly, glaring at T-Dog. Glenn nervously licked his lips. “But _when_ we die, we become walkers. It ain’t about being bit anymore. If any one of us dies, we become a walker, unless we’re shot through the head. When you get bit, you die and you become a walker.”

               “Are you telling me, that every one of us will become a walker regardless?” Shane said lowly. Rick glared sharply at the man, eyeing him as if to threaten him to say another word. Thankfully, Shane kept his words to a minimum while everyone else was staring at Rick in horror.

               “Why would you keep this from us?!” Carol finally cried out and Glenn nodded. Rick had _no right_ to keep this from them. They all deserved to know and secrets shouldn’t be kept.

               “Because you wanted me as the leader, and now I’m leading!” Rick finally snapped. “I’m in charge now! I’m keeping us alive. I didn’t want or need any of you worrying over this matter, like you are now! It changes nothing, but the will to survive. We keep living and we keep going, or we’re nothing but a body for a walker.” Carl flinched back into Lori, who had grabbed him protectively. Rick eyed everyone in the group, causing Glenn to look away. In this moment, Glenn had never expected Rick to act in such a manner. Shane, sure, but not Rick. However, what could they say or do?

               _Kill Rick? Then they really were fucked._

               Glenn chose to look away from Rick and instead look down at Daryl. He was thankful that Daryl had fallen asleep not too long ago, to spare him this conversation. Glenn knew he would have to tell Daryl eventually – no one deserved to be kept in the dark about this, but for now he would let Daryl rest. He was traumatized enough already.

               However, to Glenn’s horror, when he looked down he came face to face with Daryl’s open eyes. _He’d been awake this whole time._

               Glenn felt as if his entire world had dropped once more.

 

* * *

 

 

               Months went by.

               Fall was ending entirely and a cold winter was fast to approach. It would only be a few more weeks until they were well into winter. Temperatures continued to drop. Snow fell and animals were far and few for meals. Lori’s belly had rounded until it was a sphere on her malnourished frame, sticking out like a cancerous cell rather than a baby in a belly.

               They hadn’t found a permanent shelter yet.

               They’d come across several temporary shelters to help them, with Rick leading the way and Carl following in close second command. He’d grown distant over the months, especially as his mother’s belly grew with the baby. Time was running out, and it would only be a matter of time before the baby would arrive and it would never survive in this winter.

               Daryl was quiet. Even quieter than before. He spoke only a few words a day and usually the most he ever spoke was to Glenn. Sometimes he would talk to Carol or Rick but those were few in between. Glenn had tried to let Daryl grieve, knowing it must have been horrific to witness the barn burning. He didn’t know exactly what had happened to Daryl that night, but whatever it was had changed Daryl.

               Daryl was more observant, more willing to take watches or go on hunts with his crossbow. He always had a weapon on him, sometimes more than one at once. Glenn made it his duty to go with Daryl on hunts, which Daryl never complained about, but as the weeks went on there were less and less animals for them to bring them to eat. Which meant less food for the winter and everyone was already starving. Especially Daryl who often gave some of his food portions to Lori or others, without anyone realizing.

               Except for Glenn.

               When Glenn had seen this, he had scolded Daryl and forced his own portion onto Daryl without argument. If Daryl wasn’t going to share his, then Glenn would be willing to share his own.

               Glenn was worried about Daryl. He was scared that Daryl would revert back to his old, cold self and refuse to let anyone in. Daryl had worked so hard to become the kid he was before, and Glenn didn’t want him to turn around and become like _Merle._

               _He’s too young._

               Today Daryl was excited though. It was the first time that Glenn had seen Daryl look anything other than angry in _months._ His blue eyes had lit up and he was nearly smiling when he bounded over to Glenn during their early morning hunt. Unfortunately, due to low amounts of animals Glenn and Daryl often had to split up to cover more ground. Glenn had made sure Daryl kept a walkie-talkie on him and he did too, so they could keep in contact if they found anything or if anything went wrong.

               “Glenn! Glenn!” Daryl said, eyes brighter than before. Glenn blinked, almost gaping. Now more than ever he wished he had a camera on him in order to preserve this moment forever. If he could just keep this look on Daryl’s face forever, then Glenn could die happy.

               “Whoa, what’s happening buddy? Did you find a bear?” Glenn joked. Instead of his usual huff of annoyance, Daryl simply beamed and shook his head. Glenn was almost at a loss of words of what to do.

               “No! It’s even better!” Daryl stated, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet. Glenn couldn’t help but chuckle as Daryl took his hand. He squeezed Daryl’s hand, not wanting to let go after months of pulling away. “C’mon! Follow me! C’mon!” Daryl tugged on Glenn’s arm and Glenn blinked again.

               “Oh, okay! Okay, I’m coming.” Glenn said.

               Daryl continued to drag Glenn behind him, vibrating with excitement and Glenn couldn’t help but wonder what had the boy so excited. _What could be even better than a bear to eat?_ He didn’t say anything as Daryl dragged him through bushes of trees and over a creek, where their boots got soaked. He didn’t even complain as they trekked over a hill. Just as he was about to ask Daryl a question, his voice died on his tongue and Glenn was frozen at the sight that was revealed before him.

               The two of them were staring at a prison, no less than 100 yards away.

               A prison full of walkers but with a gated fence surrounding it, standing over ten feet high and covered in barbed wires. A prison with watchtowers and an enclosed building made of reinforced concrete. A building with warmth, with land spending over ten acres all surrounded by a fence a hundred times better than Hershel’s.

               A sanctuary.

               “Look! Look! It’s perfect, right! A gate surrounding us and a warm building and there’s even watch towers to keep watch for herds or others!” Daryl exclaimed excitedly never letting go of Daryl’s hand. “It can be a home! A permanent home!”

               “Daryl…” Glenn trailed off, unable to breathe. Daryl was right, this was perfect. _This could be permanent, not temporary. They could make this their home._ “This is amazing.”

               “Isn’t it?” Daryl said happily. “And it won’t _burn.”_ Glenn felt himself choke up at that. Looking down at Daryl, he wanted nothing more than to ask Daryl what had happened that night and to comfort him. But to do so, he would cause Daryl pain and for the first time in months, Daryl looked like a little kid again. Daryl was happy.

               Glenn couldn’t take that away from Daryl.

               “Yeah, you’re right.” Glenn finally said, causing Daryl to look up at him. Glenn stumbled upon seeing the smile now on Daryl’s face, and he could feel his own face beginning to smile. “Let’s show Rick.” The way Daryl’s eyes lit up, was more than enough for Glenn to not bring up that night.

               Later, when they showed Rick, Rick had patted Glenn on the back. Then he’d knelt down beside Daryl and place a comforting hand on Daryl’s shoulder.

               “You did great buddy.” Rick praised, causing Daryl’s who body to straighten and he beamed again. “Glenn and I are real proud of you. Thank you.”

               It took a few days of perpetration before they began to make their way _into_ the prison. At first, everyone dealt with the walkers outside of the prison fence, and only once they were gone did they break the chains to the main fence and enter the fenced off area with their cars. Maggie stayed at the gate to lock it up with their own lock and chain, before hitching onto the back of the truck to kill the walkers within the yard. By nightfall, all that was left were the walkers within the prison and main fenced off area.

               “We’ll sleep out here tonight. Tomorrow we start cleaning out the inside of the prison.” Rick commanded lightly, smiling over at Carl. “Hopefully by tomorrow night, we’ll have a home.”

               Daryl offered to take up the first watch, finding it hard to sleep when they were just feet away from their new _home._ It was crawling with walkers, which made Daryl’s skin crawl but his anticipation far outweighed his fear. Daryl never wanted to feel afraid as he had the night that Dale died, he _never_ wanted to feel useless.

               He’d done good finding this prison.

               He made everyone safe.

               He would keep everyone safe. Glenn, Carol, Maggie, Rick. All of them.

               No one would have to die like Dale.

               Daryl barely slept that night. He’d woken up too many times to silent screams, caught in his throat with the picture of Dale’s decaying body in front of his eyes. He’d grown up learning to not make a noise at night, even after a nightmare and that training had come in handy when the nightmares started up again. No one was any wiser about Daryl’s nightmares and he planned to keep it that way. No one needed to worry about him on top of anything else.

               In the morning, Maggie, T-Dog, Rick, Shane, Carl and Glenn entered the cells to clean them out. Daryl had demanded to come along and argued with Glenn for nearly ten minutes before Glenn finally agreed.

               “Fine!” Glenn said. “But you listen to _anything_ Rick or I say. If we tell you to get you, you fucking get out. Understood?”

               Daryl smirked but nodded. “Understood!” With that he followed the others into the walker infested prison and began to clean up and kill. He was quite proud that he only flinched a couple times upon shooting walkers and killing them and he listened to everything that Rick or Glenn would tell him. He even waited when the others entered the prison first through a side door, until Glenn came back out and called for him. By the early evening, the prison was completely cleared out except for the lower level cells, however, Daryl had found the main keys to the entire prison and the doors to any lower levels were locked and sealed shut.

               For now, they were safe.

               Everyone was allowed their own cell in cell block C, or at least anyone that wanted one. Carl, Lori and Rick still shared one. Maggie shared one with her father and Beth. Shane had his own, as did Carol and Glenn and Daryl decided to share one.

               When Daryl sat down on the grimy bed and looked around at the empty prison he almost cried. Now, upon being inside the barred cell, he felt slightly less comfortable and felt more like he was in a cage. However, his fear of a cage was pushed aside upon seeing the happy looks in everyone’s eyes tonight.

               “You did good Daryl.” Glenn murmured, closing his eyes when he flopped onto the other bed in their cell. Daryl felt a sensation of small flutters in his stomach, like butterflies flying, at Glenn’s praise and he couldn’t contain his smile. Luckily, Glenn was nearly asleep and couldn’t see Daryl grinning like a loon.

_I did good for you._

               That night, despite everyone having a cell, many of them pulled mattresses into the center of the cell block with a fire burning. Shane remained on watch after Carol had locked them all into the cell block to keep any straggling walkers out. Everyone else gathered around the fire on the beds, full of the cans they had recently scavenged from an old house.

               Everyone was laughing and joking, talking about life before the apocalypse. Maggie and Glenn had shared several kisses, as did Lori and Rick. Daryl had skootched himself down until he was pressed up against Glenn, who stopped his make out session to smile at Daryl. For once, Maggie didn’t complain and instead, she leaned over to ruffle Daryl’s hair and remove Glenn’s hat from Daryl’s head.

               “You did it kid, you saved us all.” She smirked and Daryl blushed right up to his ears. He hadn’t expected Maggie to ever say that to him; sure, they weren’t hating each other daily anymore but they weren’t magically on good terms quite yet.

               “She’s right. This _home,”_ Rick spoke up, raising his glass of water. “is all because of Daryl. Without him, we wouldn’t be safe tonight or have found this place. So, to Daryl! Our saving grace.”

               “To Daryl!” This time everyone chime in on the cheer, even Shane in the background. By now, Daryl’s face was almost as red as a tomato causing Glenn to laugh. This caused Maggie and her family to laugh, until eventually everyone was laughing.

               When he looked up, Daryl could see that even Shane had a smile on his lips and when he caught Daryl’s eyes, Shane simply nodded to him. Quickly, looking away Daryl played with the hem of his pants.

               “Ain’t no need for that. Stop it.” Daryl argued weakly, despite feeling warmer than he had in a long time, and it wasn’t from the fire. He felt Glenn wrap an arm around him and he leaned into Glenn’s touch despite the pout on his lips.

               The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, songs, love and a newfound hope that everything was finally going to be alright.

               Hopefully.

               Daryl knew he should have slept in his and Glenn’s cell. He shouldn’t have slept close to everyone else. He knew it. _They would find out._

               Glenn had awoken, when it was still dark out and the fire had died out. The prison was pitch black and he could barely see a foot in front of him and yet, Glenn felt safer than he had with a roaring fire going. He didn’t understand what had woken him up, as everyone else was still asleep. Even Shane had fallen asleep a few feet away from the cell block door.

               Looking around, Glenn couldn’t hear any walkers in the cell block or nearby. He didn’t see any around them, when he turned on a small flashlight nor did he see any intruders. Frowning, Glenn was just about to lie down again and believe that his internal clock was still on alert, when he heard a sound.

               _A tiny whimper._

               Sitting up straight, Glenn looked around, trying to see if anyone else was still awake or if anything was in the cell block with his team. That’s when he heard it again; another whimper. Twisting, Glenn looked over his shoulder, only to freeze when his flashlight finally landed on Daryl.

               The nine-year-old was asleep on his mattress, with a blanket wrapped tightly around his legs. His arms had broken free from them, twisting out of them. Glenn froze when he heard the whimper again, this time louder than before, when he realized that the sounds had come from Daryl.

               He crawled over to Daryl’s mattress where he could clearly see Daryl’s face and his heart stopped. Daryl’s face was scrunched up into a look of pure agony, caught in the throes of a nightmare. His hands twitched at his sides, jerking when he whimpered again and his entire body tensed. _Daryl was having a nightmare._

               Glenn felt so stupid for not realizing it sooner. Of course, Daryl would have nightmares. Who didn’t have nightmares after living this life, especially kids? Glenn swallowed past the lump in his throat and knelt at Daryl’s side.

               “Hey Daryl, wake up. Wake up, it’s just a nightmare.” Glenn attempted to soothe the boy, hoping he’d wake up after hearing Glenn’s voice. However, Daryl’s eyes remained closed and he only began to squirm in his bed. Twisting and turning, all the while moaning and whimpering from images that only he could see.

               “Daryl? Hey, it’s okay. Daryl, you’re okay. You’re safe.” Glenn murmured quietly, trying to shake Daryl awake. “It’s just a nightmare. Wake up.” When Glenn touched Daryl, Daryl’s entire body jerked and suddenly he howled.

               Jumping back, Glenn was startled as Daryl’s eyes shot open and he scrambled to get away from Glenn. He tangled himself further into his blanket and fell off the mattress with wide, _unseeing_ eyes. By now, the others had all woken up, several of them were ready to attack, fearing the worst, while the rest were confused. However, Glenn didn’t focus on any of them except for Daryl who was panting by now, with wide eyes that could not see anything. _He was still imagining his nightmare._

“Daryl, hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re safe.” Glenn said softly, trying to creep towards Daryl. Daryl whimpered again, breathing too quickly and too heavy to be healthy. At this rate, Daryl would pass out from hyperventilating and do more harm than good if Glenn couldn’t figure out what to do. He needed to help Daryl now.

               “Daryl..”

               “I didn’t wanna shoot Dale!” Daryl finally blurted out, pupils blown wide as he struggled against the tangles of his blanket. Glenn stopped just short of helping Daryl, eyes widening and mouth dropped open. He could hear several gasps behind him as the others were too frozen to do anything else.

               “W-What?”

               “I didn’ wanna shoot him. I didn’ mean to.” Daryl sobbed, still breathing too fast and too heavy.  Glenn blinked, slowly lowering himself beside Daryl. Daryl looked at Glenn with wide eyes, but he wasn’t _seeing_ Glenn.

               “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong Daryl.” Glenn said softly, but Daryl shook his head.

               “No, no, no. I did. I shot ‘im! I shot ‘im and I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Daryl sobbed again, causing Glenn’s heart to break with every apology coming from the young kid’s mouth. _What was he saying? Does he dream about us turning into walkers?_ “He was being eaten, and I watched! I watched and did nothin’ but I couldn’ let him turn! He was hurting! I promise I didn’ wanna but I had to!”

               Slowly, as to not startle the boy, Glenn began to unravel the blanket from around Daryl’s legs. Daryl flinched again, muttering more apologies and Glenn swallowed but continue to help Daryl. He glanced over his shoulder to see that everyone was awake and hovering behind him. Thankfully, no one else tried to crowd Daryl, but Glenn was momentarily startled at how _worried_ they looked for Daryl.

               It seems that Daryl meant more to them than he thought.

               “Daryl, it’s okay. Everything is alright. You’re safe here in the prison.” Glenn said softly, pulling Daryl in front of him. Daryl flinched violently and squirmed to try and get away but remained lip in Glenn’s arms as he burst into new tears.

               By now, Daryl had escaped his nightmarish memory and was fully awake. Which meant he had realized that he had just admitted the one thing he wanted no one to ever know, and cried like a big fat baby _again._ Daryl sniffled pathetically and lowered his eyes.

               “Daryl?” Daryl flinched but refused to look up. _He’s going to hate you. They’re all going to hate you for what you did to Dale. You should have died, not him. Your worthless. You are less valuable and let Dale die. Then you shot him. Pathetic._            

               “Hey, look at me.” Daryl froze when Glenn put a finger underneath Daryl’s chin and slowly raised his head so that he was looking at Glenn. _He’s going to hurt you. They’re all going to kick you out because you don’t’ deserve to be here._ However, Daryl was surprised when instead of looking into Glenn’s face of disgust, he was instead looking into a look of concern. His heart thudded in his ribcage and Glenn’s expression softened.

               “Daryl, is this what happen the night walkers attacked the barn? When we were separated?” Glenn finally asked and Daryl found that he couldn’t speak He didn’t know what to do. He wanted so badly to stay with these people – with Glenn – but how could he after what he’d done. He was the same as his brother. _You’re a murderer. No one wants you in this group._ Daryl’s eyes chanced a glance at Shane, seeing nothing reflecting in his eyes and he swallowed. _Lie. Lie like Shane. Do what he did and maybe they’ll let you stay in the yard._

_Maybe they’ll pity you._

               Daryl had the words poised on the tip of his tongue, ready to launch into a story about nightmares and torment at his young age. But, when he looked up into Glenn’s eyes so full of concern and care, Daryl found that he couldn’t lie to him. Not after all that Glenn had done. He’d rather be killed by walkers than hurt Glenn in that way.

               “Yes.” Daryl finally whispered and there were several gasps that followed. None of which came from Glenn. Instead, Glenn felt as if his entire body was on fire, burning with unimaginable pain for this broken little boy in his lap.

               “Dale found me, when I couldn’t find you.” Daryl continued, unable to stop. If he was to tell Glenn the truth one last time before he died, then he was going to tell it all. “He tried to get me to safety but a walker grabbed me. Another was comin’ and I thought – I thought I was gonna die. Then Dale got in the way and it ate him. It ate him and all of his guts right there. It wouldn’t stop! It just kept eatin’ and eatin’ and eatin’ into his stomach and his intestines and it wouldn’t stop! It didn’t ever stop!”  
               “Hey, hey. It’s okay. You don’t have to keep going. It’s alright.” Glenn cut in when he noticed Daryl’s breathing picking up again.

               “No!” Daryl’s eyes were blown wide as he gripped onto Glenn desperately. Glenn tried not to let his surprise show through and allowed Daryl to continue.

               “That’s not it! Because after I shot ‘em, I shot Dale! I put a gun to his head and I shot ‘im dead, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t! I swear!” Daryl pleaded, fresh tears racing down his cheeks. “I pr’mise I’m not a murder! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’ wanna! I pr’mise, please don’t kick me out! I’m sorry.”

               “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Glenn gently put both hands on Daryl’s shoulders and forced the crying boy to look at him. “No one – I mean _no one –_ is kicking you out. Do you understand?” Glenn commanded, glaring at anyone else who would say anything. He waited until Daryl hiccupped and eventually nodded. “Good. You’re staying with us, with me, forever. No one is going to kick you out and you are _not_ a murderer. Daryl, you saved Dale from suffering.”

               Daryl blinked through his tears, unable to tear his gaze away from Glenn. _They won’t kick me out. They won’t kick me out._ He had thought that he heard Glenn wrong but apparently, he hadn’t.

               “Daryl,” Glenn sighed, rubbing a hand down his face and reaching out to touch Daryl’s shoulders again. “Oh god, Daryl. God. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that alone. God,” Glenn’s voice cracked and Daryl was shocked to see tears racing down Glenn’s face. “I’m so – jesus – I’m so sorry that you had to go through all that and that you felt that you had to hide this from us, but you are _not_ a murderer. You hear me? Any one of us would have done the same thing, but maybe you had the guts to stop Dale’s suffering. We might have hesitated and Dale would have been in even more pain but you knew you had to stop it. You did the right thing.” Glenn leaned down to wrap his arms around Daryl in a surprising hug, and Daryl was limp.

               _I’m not a murderer? I did the right thing?_

               “Glenn’s right.” Daryl looked over Glenn’s shoulder when Glenn finally released him to see Rick and Shane watching them. Rick cleared his throat and nodded. “You did the right thing, and I know it’s hard and it hurts but you shouldn’t ever have to hide anything from us. No one here is going to kill you.”

               “They’re right.” Shane chimed in. Glenn and everyone else was prepared to stop the man, figuring what could a man who _had_ murdered another could say about this. “Dale risked his life to save you and in turn you saved him from becoming a walker. It’s the worst feeling in the world and I wish you never had to go through this, but you did the right thing. Listen to Rick and Glenn, because Dale would not want you to feel guilty about saving him.”

               Glenn’s mouth almost dropped open in shock at Shane’s words, but he instead turned to look at Daryl.

               “The point is, you’re hurting but you did the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing is the hardest thing in the world.” Glenn said softly, rubbing his thumb under Daryl’s eyes to stop the tears. “No one here thinks any less of you but we all wish you hadn’t had to go through all that alone. It must have been terrifying.”

               Daryl was quiet, not one to admit his fears but eventually he nodded. “Yeah. Thought I was alone then. That I never would see any of ya again.”

               Glenn nodded. “I was so scared of that too. Every second I couldn’t find you and I’m so grateful that Dale and Maggie found you, so that you could be here with us today.” He smiled softly when Daryl shyly looked up at him.

               “You mean a lot to this family kid.” Maggie said, causing Daryl and Glenn to look over at her. She had a soft smile on her lips and Daryl found himself grinning back _(only a little bit)._ “We are going to stick together from now until the end, and that includes you too.”

               Daryl felt an overwhelming rush of unfamiliar feelings that flooded his senses entirely. He’d gotten better at this but still, he wasn’t used to receiving this kind of care and attention or used to expressing it and it was exhausting. Quickly, he huffed and buried his face into Glenn’s blanket causing everyone to chuckle. Slowly, he drifted back to sleep that night with Glenn at his side and his _family_ surrounding him.

               _His family._

He could get used to that.

               That night Daryl slept without another nightmare.

 

* * *

 

 

               Daryl knew the others couldn’t see him. Maggie and Glenn were fooling around in the watchtower that would have been able to see him. He had let them have their fun, after realizing that Maggie wasn’t a total butthead. She was actually pretty cool; not that he was ever going to mention that out loud. Not yet anyway.

               Everyone else was doing their jobs around the prison and Daryl had been allowed some time to explore the prison area. As long as he stayed within the fenced yard. He was currently at the furthest north point of the yard, with his crossbow loaded and in both hands. His gun and his knife were both attached to his pants giving him all the protection he needed.

               His entire focus was on the woman on the other side of the fence.

               She was bleeding from a wound in her leg and had two walkers without bottom jaws or arms, attached to chains at her side. The other walkers surrounding them paid her no mind, nor the chained walkers.

               Daryl stared at the woman as she watched him.

               “What do you want?” Daryl finally asked and the woman blinked.

               “Help.”

               Daryl eyed the woman, knowing he shouldn’t trust strangers. Not in this world anymore. But there was something about her that told him to trust her. Something that said this woman needed help, and she could help _them._

               “What’s your name?” Daryl lowered his crossbow and the woman smiled.

               “Michonne.”


	6. Can I Be Happy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so I'm back! Sorry this took some time, but school has just started back up again and between that, 2 jobs and my other fics, I just try to find time to write when I can. So, I hope you're prepared for more angst and fluff. These next few chapters will focus on the prison and other stuff and I'm most excited about that but poor Daryl suffers because of it.
> 
> As always I love to hear from you guys and your comments, kudos and messages keep this fic alive so thank you all for doing that and keep it up! Enjoy!

_“Mama, can I have that?” Daryl Dixon knew better than to ask his parents for things, even at five-years-old. Especially things that cost money. Though, it was better to try and ask mama because the worst she could do was ignore Daryl, while Papa would have smacked him for even asking._

_Marlene Dixon, the mother to Daryl and Merle Dixon, sucked in the smoke of her cigarette before blowing in out in the general direction of Daryl. She didn’t seem to mind that Daryl swatted the smoke away before she looked back at what he was pointing to. The two of them were in a small, convenience store grabbing “groceries” for the week. Daryl was pointing to a top shelf that had a teddy bear with wings and the convenience store logo on it. Marlene wrinkled her nose, wondering why on Earth her son would want a bear with a stupid gas-n-shop logo on it._

_The child was strange._

_“Hm, I’ll tell you what,” Marlene said feeling generous. Daryl’s eyes widened upon not hearing a no right away and he listened intently. Marlene grabbed her bangs full of “groceries” and began to head to the door._

_“I’m not paying for it. But if you can sneak it out of this store, it’s all yours, kid.” She said with a grin. Daryl felt his tiny little heart fluttering at this. He couldn’t believe that his mama was going to let him have the bear – she hadn’t said no! He almost grinned until he realized that his mother had left the store and was waiting outside for him._

_Which meant that Daryl would have to steal that teddy bear, all on his own._

_Steal._

_Daryl’s stomach churned at the thought. He knew his brother and his daddy had stolen lots of stuff. Beer, cigarettes, guns, even the only tv in their house was stolen from where Daryl’s daddy had once worked. Even Daryl was forced to steal food sometimes, usually when his brother or mother demanded it. And if he didn’t, his daddy would lock him outside for the night, calling him a pussy. But no matter how used to stealing Daryl’s family was, Daryl was still never used to it. Daryl always felt his tummy flip at the thought of stealing._

_Daryl reached up to grab a hold of the bear, before peeking over the edge of the aisle. By now, the clerk had turned his attention to Daryl with a frown. Daryl knew it didn’t look good to have a small kid alone in a store and he knew it was only a matter of time before the clerk guy came over._

_Daryl jumped back to hide behind the rack of sunglasses before looking down at the stuffed bear in his hands. He ran his hands over the soft fur of the bear, being very gentle as to not get dirt in the fur. The bear was just so soft and so, so warm._

_Daryl’s heart was hammering in his chest and his palms were becoming sweaty. Daryl knew time was running out to sneak the bear somewhere because he could hear footsteps from behind him. He longingly stared at the bear._

_Now was the time. It was his only open window of opportunity._

_Now! Go!_

_And yet, Daryl was glued to the floor. No matter how much his heart ached for the bear or how much he wanted it, Daryl couldn’t move. His mama wouldn’t ever let him have a new time; this was his only chance and he couldn’t even move. Daryl felt his lower lip tremble as he clutched the bear tightly in his hands and his eyes watered. He knew that he couldn’t cry right now, and if he went back to his mama crying, she would tell his daddy._

_“Do you want that?” Daryl jumped a foot in the air and dropped the bear. He spun around to see the young clerk was right behind him. The clerk raised his hands in apology when Daryl glared at him, and he moved to pick the bear._

_“I wasn’t gunna steal it.” Daryl sniffed, attempting to look angry and scary like Merle rather than looking like a weak baby. The clerk guy simply chuckled at Daryl, rather than looking upset._

_“I didn’t think you were. I just wanted to know if you wanted it?” He asked and Daryl eyed the bear once again. The clerk shifted to present the bear out to Daryl but Daryl didn’t reach out to grab it._

_“Ain’t got no money.” Daryl snapped. “’Sides, it’s for babies.”_

_“I have a bear.” The clerk shrugged. Daryl almost gaped at the clerk and his felt his mask beginning to crack. He didn’t understand why this guy was being so nice? Most people looked at the Dixon family and at their kind and sneered at them. Even Daryl. “They’re not just for babies. You can have one and still be strong.”_

_“Still gots no money.” Daryl could feel his angry mask crumbling more and more as his shoulders slumped. The clerk eyed him for another second, causing Daryl to feel as if his skin were crawling with bugs. He was twitching to just bolt back outside to his mama, and just when he was about to go, the clerk pushed the bear into Daryl’s hand._

_“I’ll cover it. You can take it, alright?” The clerk smiled, causing Daryl’s heart to stop._

_“I – I can have it?” Daryl asked, fingers already curling around the bear and blue eyes wide with disbelief. The clerk grinned again, this time nodding before heading up to the front counter. Daryl warily followed behind the man, careful not to get too close. However, the clerk went behind the desk, whistling and pretending not to notice Daryl eyeing him. Daryl stared long and hard at the man, unsure of what his kindness meant, before looking down at the soft bear in his hands. He glanced outside where his mama was smoking a cigarette again. Her back was turned to Daryl, meaning she hadn’t seen the clerk hand the bear to him._

_Finally, Daryl looked back at the clerk to see him straightening magazines before their eyes met. The clerk said nothing but instead winked at Daryl, and Daryl couldn’t fight off the grin off his face._

_“Thank you.” He whispered before bolting out the front door of the store. He beamed happily, snuggling his face into the soft fur of the bear as he found his mama. She watched him with an odd expression on her face, the entire time she had cuddled up to the bear._

_“I see you got it.” She said quietly and Daryl nodded happily._

_“I can keep it right? You said if I could get it out, I can keep it?” Daryl asked and his mama’s face softened._

_“Yeah. You can keep it.” She said before turning around to walk down the path to their house. Daryl continued to grin as he held the bear closer and buried his face into the soft fur. He knew better than to ask and bring this home to where his daddy was, but in this moment, Daryl couldn’t care._

_He was happy._

 

* * *

 

 

               Lori wasn’t happy about Michonne. Or Shane. Or Rick. Or a lot of people. Glenn was okay with it, weary but okay, as was Hershel and Beth. Carol didn’t mind Michonne too much and Carl was on the fence. The group was pretty divided ever since Michonne had been allowed into the prison.

               Or at least, ever since Daryl had decided that she could be allowed in the prison with them. To say that it was a bad day when Daryl had let Michonne through a hole in the fence that he later then covered, was an understatement. Practically _everyone_ had flipped out. For a few brief seconds, Daryl was worried that everyone was actually going to throw him out of the group this time. It had been a couple of weeks since Daryl had admitted to Dale’s death, and Glenn’s reassurances still stuck with Daryl, but every now and again Daryl would freeze after making a mistake and fear he was going to be kicked out. _After all, how many times could someone screw up before they were kicked out?_

               Daryl had led Michonne quietly through the back of the prison and into his and Glenn’s cell. He had managed to sneak past everyone, including Carol who was doing laundry inside. It was one of those times that he had been more than thankful that he had a natural ability to sneak about and hide from people. _Guess Dad was useful for something._

               Michonne was silent the whole time, which Daryl was thankful for. He didn’t know what to say, now that he realized that he had _snuck_ a stranger into their home. Once Michonne was seated on the ground, Daryl had stood awkwardly rubbing his arms. His fingers twitched for the crossbow across his back and Michonne eyed this movement.

               “I’m not here to hurt you. There’s no need to be afraid.” Michonne finally spoke up and Daryl jumped. He stared down at Michonne swallowing thickly. Michonne didn’t look scary or bad, but she had a _big sword_ and she had been carrying two armless walkers on chains. Daryl had forced Michonne to leave her pets outside and was adamant that they were never allowed in the prison. Michonne didn’t argue and instead, tied the two walkers to a tree far away from the prison.

               “Well, yer a stranger. An’ I probably wasn’t ‘pposed to let you in.” Daryl mumbled, biting the tip of his thumb. Michonne didn’t make a move as she eyed Daryl, however, her face softened. It was a strange look on her face; one that Daryl wasn’t quite used to.

               It made him uncomfortable.

               “And you have every right to not trust me.” Michonne nodded, rather than arguing like Daryl had imagined. Gently, he bit down harder on his thumb. “But I promise that I am not here to hurt you, or your…group. Can you tell me your name?”

               Daryl eyed into the prison cell block, making sure that no one was coming in. Then he turned back to Michonne and continued gnawing on his thumb.

               “Daryl.” Daryl finally muttered. It was quiet, and he was sure that Michonne probably couldn’t hear, so he was pleasantly surprised when she nodded and smiled softly again.

               “Thank you for helping me, Daryl.” Daryl could feel his ears burn and he was glad that his hair was starting to grow out and was covering them. He nodded absently, still biting the tip of his thumb. The silence drummed on as Daryl awkwardly rocked on his heels.

               “I dunno what Rick’s gonna say.” Daryl finally admitted and Michonne frowned. He didn’t know why but he felt himself grow sad when Michonne stopped smiling. He didn’t understand why he wanted her to keep smiling. _He didn’t know her._

               “Who is Rick?”

               Daryl bit down on his thumb hard enough to draw some blood this time. He nearly jerked back when Michonne touched his hand and pushed it out of his mouth.

               “He’s the leader.” Daryl glared down at Michonne, but didn’t attempt to bit down on his thumb again. Michonne simply nodded but her frown remained.

               “I’m assuming it’s his say if I can stay or not?” Michonne asked and Daryl nodded. The two of them were quiet again, but this time it wasn’t as uncomfortable. Daryl kind of liked that Michonne didn’t feel the need to always say something. It was like how he acted.

               “Um, I can try to find a first aid kit, fer ya leg.” Daryl nodded towards the bleeding wound on Michonne’s leg. Michonne then blinked as if to realize that she was in fact wounded and still bleeding. She let out a soft sigh and Daryl shifted. “You should be okay if you stay here. I’ll be back.”

               Daryl turned around immediately to leave, only to stop right as he exited the cell in order to look back at Michonne. Michonne was still exactly where she was and she managed to send a small smile to Daryl. Daryl felt his heart beat quicken before he was sprinting out of the cell.

               The group had yet to fully clean out the lower levels of the prison but they managed to gather a few supplies they needed. Such as water and plenty of first aid that was left over in the prison. Daryl knew they had a first aid kit, and it was just his luck that he was able to grab it without running into a single person in the prison. He was probably pushing his luck right now, but there was something about Michonne that said she needed help. She had a look in her eye – not the kind look she had been giving Daryl, but another look. One that made Daryl’s stomach churn and told him about how much she must have lost.

               Daryl was quickly running back to his cell, arms full of first aid kit supplies, and just as he was about to reach the cell, he felt himself being yanked back. The supplies skidded to the floor just as Daryl felt himself being shoved behind a person. His hands immediately went to the knife on his hip, until he realized that it was Glenn’s body in front of him.

               “Stay back!” Glenn order and it was then that Daryl realized _everyone_ had entered the cell block. He looked to see Carol with Carl and Lori at the top of the cell block. Hershel was standing guard over Beth with Maggie at his side, each holding a gun. Suddenly, Daryl heard a pained yell and he jumped. Looking around Glenn, Daryl saw Rick and Shane shoving Michonne to the ground, with a pistol pointed at her head. He felt his hear leap into his throat, but the more he struggled, the more Glenn would keep himself in between Daryl and Michonne.

               “Daryl, stay back! We don’t know how she got into our cell!” Glenn said, heart racing. _Who was this woman? How did she get into the prison? Were there others?_ His mind was in a frenzy at the thought that this stranger had been so close to Daryl. She had been in Daryl’s home. He was only thankful that he got to the cell before Daryl and saw her first.

               However, he couldn’t understand why Daryl kept trying to get around him. Sure, maybe he wanted to help protect the group, which Glenn usually would allow, but this was different. This time a _stranger_ had infiltrated their home and he had no idea what her intentions were.

               “What are you doing in here?!” Rick snarled, gun pressing up against Michonne’s head. The woman snarled, fighting as hard as she could. She easily landed several harsh kicks to Shane and Rick but with two against one, there would be no way that she would win. Shane grabbed a hold of her hair, yanking her head back and she cried out. Before she could speak, the barrel of the gun was shoved under her chin and she swallowed at the feeling of the cold metal.

               “How did you get into this prison?” Rick asked again and Shane growled. Michonne glared at Rick from the corners of her eyes and Rick’s grip on the gun tightened. They could hear the other whispering worriedly in the background but nothing else mattered but this woman.

               “Are there others? More of you?!” Shane continued when Michonne made no move to speak. Her eyes darted over to him and her lips curled back into a deeper snarl. “Answer the question bitch!” Shane yanked on Michonne’s hair again.

               “I let her in!” Daryl finally yelled, shoving against Glenn. “I let her in, stop it!” Out of surprise, Glenn allowed Daryl to shove him away, before Daryl stormed into the cell. Rick and Shane both lowered their guns, staring at Daryl as if they didn’t believe him. The anger on their faces didn’t disappear either, in fact it only got worse.

               _“You?!”_ Rick asked and Daryl flinched. Glenn was frozen in his spot upon hearing Daryl’s exclamation, and while he hated to see Daryl flinch at Rick’s tone, he was still trying to process the fact that _Daryl_ had let a stranger into the prison. Without telling _him._

               It almost broke Glenn’s heart, to think that Daryl had so little trust in him that he didn’t come to Glenn first about the stranger. He thought that he and Daryl had grown past the awkward phase and were closer together now than the start. But right now, Glenn felt his trust crumpling and deep down he knew that he was being a hypocrite after he’d sworn to keep Maggie’s secret against Daryl back on the farm. He knew that Daryl had every right to not trust him as they once had but he _swore_ that they were past that.

_They were more than that._

               “Yes.” Daryl swallowed, inching closer to Michonne. He could see that her gaze was on him now, having turned her glare away from Rick and Shane to look at him with a softer expression. Daryl glanced over his shoulder and his heart dropped once more at the confused and hurt look on Glenn’s face. He hoped that Glenn would still be on his side after all this.

               Though, he couldn’t blame Glenn if he wasn’t.

               “I let her in.” Daryl said, taking a deep breath and looking Rick in the eye. Rick frowned, expression twisting into one of confusion mixed with frustration. Thankfully, he didn’t raise the gun to Daryl or move to hit him but Daryl braced himself anyway. He only looked in Shane’s direction to make sure that Shane wouldn’t hit him from behind. Rick would be easier to deal with than Shane.

               “She was hurt. She was alone. She wasn’t going to hurt any of us.” Daryl continued, while Rick tightened his grip on Michonne. Daryl felt his heart beat so fast in his chest, that it was almost painful, when Michonne winced.

               “Daryl,” Rick sighed angrily. Daryl watched and waited to see what Rick’s reaction would be and he ignored everyone else in the room. _Wasn’t like any of them were gonna help you._ “You can’t just let _anybody_ into our group. Especially without getting one of us first.”

               “I know that!” Daryl argued, biting his lip. He scratched at the inside of his wrists and swayed on his feet. “But she could help us. She already figured out how to keep walkers away from her on the outside.”

               At this new information, Michonne’s eyes widened while Rick turned to look at her. He scrutinized her as if she were a specimen under a microscope. While Shane didn’t interrupt or say anything, he did growl when Rick lowered his gun.

               “You keep walkers away?” Rick finally asked. Michonne looked back at him and her glare was back. She said nothing and Daryl wanted to scream. _Why couldn’t anyone just listen to him or make it easier for him?_ He was starting to get tired of everyone doing everything the hard way, especially when he was involved.

               “I’m not saying we gotta be her best friend,” Daryl continued, causing Rick and Michonne to look back at him. He shifted uncomfortably at their gazes. “But ‘s not fair to just let her die. I was just gonna get the first aid and then find Glenn and everyone else.”

               Glenn blinked upon hearing his name. He was surprised to hear Daryl speak about him in that moment. _Maybe it wasn’t broken._

               “Daryl, why didn’t you come to me first?” Glenn asked slowly. Daryl turned to look at Glenn, causing Glenn’s face to flush at the pointed look Daryl gave him. He knew that was a look of annoyance on Daryl’s face.

               “You and Maggie were having _alone time._ I didn’t need to barge in on that.” Daryl shrugged and this time Maggie’s face flushed with embarrassment along with Glenn. Daryl nearly smirked at the sight, but the weight of the situation was too heavy for any lighthearted humor right now. Glenn coughed, forcing everyone’s attention to divert away from him and Maggie before sighing.

               Rick sighed to himself and dragged a hand across his face. Daryl could tell that Rick was tired. Hell, he’d been tired for months now. With the baby being close to being born, and the prison still not fully emptied out, it was a lot of pressure on their leader. Daryl felt bad that he was only giving Rick more stress with this whole situation, knowing that Rick hardly slept anymore.

               When Rick put his gun back into its holster, Shane and everyone else exploded.

               “That’s it?! That’s all ya got to say about this? We’re just lettin’ her stay?” Shane growled, still gripping Michonne’s hair tightly. Daryl frowned and stepped towards them. Shane had been doing alright the past few months. He wasn’t perfect but he was _bearable._ Now, though, Daryl was starting to remember why they had all hated him back at the farm.

               “Shane, we are better than that.”

               “No Rick, for once I agree with Shane.” Lori piped up, hands crossed over her belly. Carl shifted closer to his mother’s side and eyed Michonne warily. Rick turned around to stare at his wife. “After everything that nearly happened with Randall, you’re going to just let some stranger right into our home? All because _Daryl_ said so.”

               Daryl flinched at her tone and instead focused on keeping the first aid kit from dropping.

               “Lori. We’ll lock her up in a cell. Let her healed and then we can let her go.” Rick tried to say, only for Lori to snort.

               “And then let her kill us all in our sleep?” She said bitterly. Carl frowned, nodding slightly at the idea. “No. You can’t do this Rick. We should get a say in the matter, and in case you forgot, Daryl’s a _kid._ His word means nothing.”

               Daryl could feel his hands starting to ball up into fists out of humility and anger. Shame and fear washed over him and he wanted nothing more than to get away from everyone. It was suffocating in the room.

               He couldn’t breathe.

               He couldn’t _breathe._

               “Hey!” Glenn jumped in, clasping a hand down on Daryl’s shoulder. Surprised, Daryl looked up at Glenn, but Glenn was glaring at Lori. He felt his heart beginning to beat fast and his throat tightened. “Daryl is just as much a part of this group as you and me. He gets to voice his opinion all he wants.”

               “This is a matter for grown-ups.” Shane interrupted. “Not kids. They don’t think rationally.”

               “Fuck you!” Daryl growled, barely avoiding the want to throw the first aid kit at Shane. “I think more rationally than you ever have since them walkers came around!”

               “You’re a child Daryl.” Lori defended. “It’s only natural for kids to be unaware of the consequences that could happen.”

               “I think Daryl understands that more than any of us.” Glenn stated hotly, and Daryl did smirk at Lori this time. “Look, right now everyone is thinking out of anger and without any rationale. Maybe we should come back to this in a day or so.”

               “And let her slit our throats tonight?” Shane asked darkly. “As if.”

               “I’m not going to kill anyone.” Michonne finally growled, only to hiss when Shane yanked on her hair again. Daryl growled at the gesture.

               “Shut it, bitch.”

               “You leave her alone!” Daryl snarled.

               “You seem to be pretty defensive of her. Why’s that Daryl?” Shane asked.

               “Figures he’d see a new woman and latch on to her, like his own mother.” Lori added, causing Daryl to growl again. Glenn snarled in her direction, ready to tear into her and Shane for saying anything about Daryl. After all that Daryl had endured and _done_ for them. Did they forget that it was Daryl who found them this safe home? Without Daryl, they would still be living on the roads.

               “Lori! Enough!” Carol finally shouted.

               “That’s enough! All of you!” Rick’s voice boomed through the prison, echoing off the walls. It silenced everyone else immediately. Rick glared down at everyone in the room, even Michonne before speaking again. This time, no one dared to interrupt him.

               “We got one way to solve this. You don’t like me taking orders, then fine. We do this one way and that settles it. No arguments. No anger.” Rick said quietly. He waited for everyone to nod back before continuing. Daryl felt hope rising within him. _Maybe there was a chance._

               “We take a vote on this. One time, so what you agree on is final. There are no going backs or second chances. Either you believe or you don’t believe.” Rick continued with a firm nod to everyone. “All right. Then all those in favors of getting rid of… _Michonne?”_

               Daryl’s heart sunk lower and lower when Lori and Shane immediately raised their hands. He was slightly angry once Maggie and Rick both raised their hands. His heart was almost to the bottom of the floor and no more than ever, Daryl wished that Dale was still here because he knew what Dale could have to say about the matter. He could have counted on Dale, as strange as that sounded.

               They wanted to let her die.

               She didn’t deserve to die.

               _Why?_

               “Those in favor of letting her stay?” Rick asked. Daryl’s hand immediately went up, but his kept his eyes down rather than looking at the room and felt his hope simmer. He could feel the tension in the room and he figured that this meant he lost. _But what could he say? This was fair._

               However, once Daryl finally looked up, he was shocked to see the people raising their hands. Besides his own, Glenn, Hershel, Beth, Carol _and_ Carl had their hands raised. Daryl knew his face probably looked stupid right then and there, but it didn’t matter. He looked over at Michonne to see she looked just as surprised as him, before turning to look at Glenn. When Glenn gave him a gentle smile, Daryl couldn’t help but return it with a small grin of his own.

               “Okay,” Rick said. He didn’t appear to look mad or angry by the decision, maybe a bit annoyed but Daryl figured that must be because everyone else was going to be a mess by this decision. Daryl was really glad that he wasn’t the leader; it sounded stressful. “Then it’s settled. Michonne can stay. Rest up here and we’ll fix your wound, but once it’s fine then you’re on your own. Got it?” By now Rick was ignoring everyone else and looking down at Michonne. Michonne didn’t stop her glare and she nodded.

               “That sounds _perfect_ to me.” She said and Daryl grinned again. “Thank you.”

               With a huff, Shane let Michonne go and stormed out of the cell. Rick glanced back to Michonne before following after Shane and Lori. Everyone else stared at Michonne awkwardly before Carol reminded all of them of their chores to do and with that everyone but Glenn, Daryl and Michonne had dispersed. Michonne caught Daryl’s eye for a second before she smiled softly and Daryl blushed. He was just about to hand her the first aid kit when Glenn tapped his shoulder. Daryl was a bit confused when Glenn took the kit out of his hand before nodding towards the prison.

               “You’ve got your chores too today. I’ll help her out, alright?” Glenn said and Daryl almost breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to help Michonne, and he wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t believe Michonne would hurt them, but this whole day had been awkward and confusing for Daryl. He needed a break from all this, and what a better distraction than some manual labor. With a nod, Daryl grabbed his crossbow before racing out of the cells and up the stairs.

               Glenn chuckled to himself listening to Daryl leave until he heard the door slam shut. Leaving him alone with this stranger. Swallowing he finally looked at the injured woman and studied her.

               She was a stranger, with a weapon and heavily armed. They didn’t know her intentions or what she was capable of. And yet, she was a part of them now even if only temporary. Glenn was still in awe by the size of Daryl’s heart. Everyone thought he was cold and cruel like his brother, but Daryl’s heart was the biggest of any of them.

               No one else would have helped this woman like Daryl.

               _He was so innocent in a world so cruel._

_He didn’t deserve this life._

               Eventually, Glenn cleared his throat before handing the kit over to Michonne. The woman eyed Glenn from the corners of her eye but she took the first aid kit without a word.

               “I hope you understand what Daryl’s just done for you.” Glenn spoke up, startling the woman. Now she turned her focus to Glenn, still glaring but Glenn wasn’t wavering. “Daryl doesn’t usually let in strangers, in fact he’s usually one of the first to say no to them. It’s hard to trust people, when you’ve seen how dirty people really can be. But he saw something in you – something worth saving and he may have just isolated himself from the others in this group to ensure you lived.”

               Michonne said nothing but Glenn wasn’t expecting an answer.

               After a while he finally turned out of the cell. “And he let you into _our_ cell – his home. You better remember what that boy has done for you.” With that, he turned out of the cell and left to stand guard outside. Michonne still didn’t say anything but Glenn had seen the look of appreciation on her face.

_I hope she doesn’t break his heart._

 

* * *

 

 

               There was blood.

               So much blood.

               It was everywhere.

               Daryl couldn’t look away. He was frozen where he was. His heart was practically beating out of his chest and his hands were trembling, from where they were holding Hershel down.

               Screaming.

               Hershel and the others were screaming.

               Their screams were ringing in his ears. Daryl thought that he hadn’t screamed but he didn’t know for sure. Everything was sort of a blur right then and there. Hershel wasn’t struggling anymore. He was limp on the ground, under Daryl’s bloody hands. Daryl’s entire body shook when the sound of hacking stopped and he didn’t dare to look to see if Rick had finished.

               Hershel had been bit.

               As they were cleaning out the lowest levels of the prison, a seemingly “dead” walker on the ground had grabbed Hershel’s ankle and tore a massive chunk of flesh off his leg. Hershel had screamed first and then soon enough, everyone was screaming and Daryl was driving an arrow straight through the head of walker. _This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was just meant to be clean up._ The group had dragged Hershel into the closest room with Daryl and Carl guarding their backs.

               Then Maggie was screaming to help her dad and Hershel was moaning in pain and suddenly Rick was screaming about _cutting off Hershel’s leg._

               Daryl almost threw up.

               Until Rick had ordered him to help hold him down. It took Daryl, Glenn, Maggie _and_ Shane to hold Hershel down. That was when Rick pulled the hatchet from his belt. He’d taken one look at Maggie and apologized, with her crying to do it, before Rick had hacked into Hershel’s leg.

               Daryl almost threw up again and snapped his gaze down at his hands, focusing on holding Hershel down as he yelled.

               Daryl could hear the hatchet hitting flesh and hear the sounds of blood squirting out. He could hear it when the blade hit bone.

_Hack._

_Hack._

_HACK._

               When the noise stopped, Daryl still didn’t look up. His breathing was heavier than normal, but so was everyone else, except for Hershel. Maggie kept crying for her dad to be alright. Daryl barely chanced a glance up to see Glenn looking away from Maggie and worriedly looking over at him. Daryl could feel his body tremble again and he tore his gaze away from Glenn’s concern in order to remove his hands from Hershel’s body. They were splattered with blood and still shaking violently as he raised them off the still body. Daryl didn’t dare look to his left, where Rick had been hacking at.

               “We need to get that bleeding to stop.” Rick finally commanded. “Shane, you and I will grab him. Maggie, get Carol and Lori to get a bed ready. Glenn, help Shane and I. Daryl –” Rick hesitated when he looked to Daryl and Carl. Both of whom were shaking and pale. His heart twisted painfully in his chest and he wished that neither one of them had to witness this.

               That was until they heard a noise.

               A bucket toppled off near the refrigerators. Shane and Rick both shifted Hershel under their arms with the help of Glenn to keep Hershel behind them. Without another second of hesitating, Carl and Daryl both had a gun and a bow drawn towards the source of the noise. Rick felt pride swell in him at their quick reactions. While it wasn’t ideal for the kids to be the front line, he had faith now that they both would be ready to fire in a second.

               Suddenly, four figures emerged from the fridges and everyone tensed.

               “Stop right there! Don’t move!” Carl was the first to shout, causing the four strange men to freeze. They each had a weapon of their own. Though only one had a gun, the other three had a crow bar or a pipe.

               The man with a gun pointed it at Carl, before seeing Daryl and pointing it at him. Rick felt Glenn move behind him.

               “Stay back fucker.” Daryl hissed darkly. He barely nodded his head an inch before Carl had fired off his gun. The bullet exploded into the wall mere millimeters from the gun man’s head. The three strangers flinched, and Carl cocked the gun once more. Daryl circled around them.

               “Who the hell are you?” Glenn asked, his own gun already drawn. Rick’s fingers itched towards his gun on his side and he shared a look with Shane before looking at Hershel.

               “He’s bleeding out, we gotta go back! Put pressure on his knee Glenn! Hard, hard!” Rick commanded when he saw Hershel losing more and more color. Carl and Daryl still kept their focus on the four men in front of them.

               “Why don’t you come out of there?” Daryl’s body was no longer trembling and his face was hard. He was sure that he and Carl looked laughable as two kids threatening what looked like inmates, but he and Carl and the others outnumbered their one gun. “Slow and steady.”

               “No games, or I’ll kill you.” Carl nodded, backing up with Carl. Slowly, five men emerged rather than four. Daryl’s eyes momentarily widened but then he pointed the tip of his arrow at the center of the gun man’s forehead.

               “What happened to him?” The gun man asked, looking down at Hershel.

               “He got bit.” Daryl growled.

               “Bit?” The man began to raise his gun again at Daryl.

               “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Glenn cocked his gun and even Shane had pulled out a pistol and aimed it to the gunman. “Easy now. Don’t even think about it.”

               Rick looked down at Hershel, noticing that the towel to soak up his blood was falling off Hershel and he swallowed. Hershel didn’t have time for this. They needed to leave now. “Maggie, I need you to hold this!” He said. Glenn looked torn between keeping the gun up at the strange men and helping Hershel. Maggie was quick to jump in and hold the rag tight against Hershel’s leg with as much pressure as he could, and Glenn quickly pushed past the men, ignoring their guns.

               “Whoa! What the hell are you doing?” The gun man shouted and Daryl kept his focus on him.

               “Do you guys have any medical supplies?” Glenn asked.

               Suddenly, walkers slammed themselves against the closest doors, trying to force it open, drawing the inmates’ attention to that. Daryl almost snorted when their eyes widened with fear.

               “Who the hell are you people anyway?” The gunman asked and everyone ignored him.

               “You don’t look like no rescue team.” Another one of the inmates pointed out and this time Daryl did roll his eyes.

               “If a rescue team is what you’re waiting for,” Rick growled, as Glenn shoved off boxes from a rolling cart. The inmates jumped at the noise only for Glenn to shove past them. “Then don’t. Come on, we got to go!” Rick shouted. Glenn rolled the cart over to him and Shane and the three men quickly worked to get Hershel on the cart. “Shane get that door!”

               “Are you crazy?! Don’t open it!” A third inmate almost shrieked.

               “We got this!” Rick yelled over his shoulder just as Shane opened the doors. Instantly he charged at the first walker that came crawling through and stabbed the pipe up the walker’s neck and through its head. Maggie had removed herself from her father’s side and was shooting at the next few walkers entering the room. Rick was already push past them with Glenn helping to lead the cart. Carl turned around to help the others as a few straggling walkers followed them leaving Daryl to face the men.

               “Daryl! Daryl! Let’s go!” Glenn shouted over his shoulder. Daryl was hesitant to just leave these men unattended in their home, especially after knowing that someone else was in their prison. However, Hershel and the others needed his help. And damn, he was going to help them.

               Daryl eyed the men one more time, before running after Carl who had stayed to make sure Daryl would follow.

               Daryl wanted to scream. He wanted to cry and hit and shout at the unfairness of it all. He knew he should be used to this all by now but he didn’t want to be. _Not Hershel too. Please not Hershel._ He could hear that Rick had reached the others in the cell block, and there were tons of commotion between the women and the men as they set to work to save Hershel. Daryl and Carl shared a look, just about to enter the upper levels when Daryl felt a tug on his arm.

               His heart sunk to the floor and Daryl was hit with a momentary panic that a walker had grabbed him. _We’ll have to cut off my arm. It’ll bite me. It’ll bite me. It’ll bite me._ He bit back a scream and jerked back, turning to look at what grabbed his arm. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the gunman and his friends had followed them.

               “Hey, let him go!” Carl shouted loudly and Daryl violently tried to free his arm from the man’s grip. He could aim his crossbow at the man from this angle with one arm. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and he feared that these men had come for the group.

               For Glenn and Carol.

               Hershel and Beth and Maggie.

               For Rick and Carl and everyone.

               “Let him go!” Carl shouted again and fired his gun. It hit the wall right beside the gunman, causing him to jump and giving him enough time to get free. He jumped back, immediately pulling his crossbow up to aim at the men. By now, he could another set of footsteps running their way. The gunman growled at Daryl, cocking his gun to fire and for a split-second Daryl could see his life flash before his eyes and his eyes watered.

               That is until the blade of a Kanata sliced down on the gun and shoved it to the ground. The man yelped at the sudden intrusion of his personal space while Daryl was just confused. His confusion, however, turned to astonishment when he saw that it was _Michonne_ standing between Daryl and Carl and the inmates.

               “Michonne?” Daryl asked quietly.

               “What do you think you’re doing?” Michonne asked the men, ignoring Daryl at the moment. “Trying to kill kids? I don’t think that’s going to make any lasting impressions on Rick and the group.”

               “What’s your problem lady?” The gunman hissed, cradling his arm. Michonne didn’t speak, but rather pointed the tip of her blade to the man’s throat. Behind him, the other inmates crowded away from her. Daryl wanted to snicker at the sight of these grown men cowering before Michonne.

               “Daryl!”

               Daryl felt his entire body sink with relief when he heard Glenn behind him. Turning around, he saw Rick and Glenn both headed their way. They both were eyeing the inmates, but their weapons weren’t drawn. Rick quickly pulled Carl aside and murmured something in the boy’s ear. Carl started to protest only to quiet down at the look his father sent him. With a sigh, he looked at Daryl one more time before heading back into the cell block.

               Glenn easily wrapped an arm around Daryl’s shoulders and pulled him close. Daryl was startled for a second before he found himself relaxing into Glenn’s arms. Ever so slowly he wound his own arms around Glenn’s midsection and buried his face into Glenn’s vest. Now that the adrenaline was dying down, Daryl could feel the shaking starting back up again. Images of Hershel’s bloody leg and walkers attacking him flashed before his eyes and he repressed the urge to whimper.

               Thankfully, Glenn said nothing but rather he rubbed a hand up and down Daryl’s back.

               “Glenn, get Shane and I need you to be in charge.” Rick murmured lowly, eyeing the prison inmates. Glenn was shocked as Rick said this and his disbelief must have shown, because Rick pulled him away from Michonne and the inmates.

               “If anything happens with this, you’re in charge. I need you to look after everyone. Especially Hershel. You don’t let these guys in if Shane and I don’t come.” Rick said quietly. Glenn’s eyes widened but he slowly felt himself nod. “I don’t know whose side Michonne will be on, but I hope we got three against five.”

               “Rick, it’ll be fine.” Glenn said. Rick didn’t say anything but he did nod at Glenn’s words. Then he made his way over to Michonne and began to try to talk to the men. Carefully, Glenn led a willing Daryl back into the cell block murmuring reassurances the whole way. He just hoped that he wasn’t lying to Daryl.

               Everything had to be okay.

 

* * *

 

 

               Hershel was recovering.

               Daryl denied that he cried when he and Carol saw him open his eyes for the first time. Carol had then ran off to get Maggie and the others, leaving Hershel alone with Daryl.

               Hershel tiredly looked over at Daryl who bit his lip. “I’m glad yer okay old man.” Daryl finally admitted quietly. His cheeks flushed when Hershel laughed weakly. “But you don’t ever scare Maggie and ‘em like that again.” Daryl tried to scold the older man and fixed him with a dirty glare while Hershel smiled softly.

               “I’m glad you’re safe too Daryl.” The man said and Daryl’s ears burned. Thankfully, Maggie and Beth both chose that moment to enter the cell. Daryl slipped through everyone to leave the cell once the others began to crowd around and to give Hershel and his family some privacy. He caught Glenn’s eyes as he walked out and he couldn’t help but smile when Glenn sent him a thumb up.

_What a loser._

                Once Hershel was awake, it took him a couple more weeks before he was able to get out of bed and hobble around on some crutches. Beth laughed happily while Maggie fretted that her dad should still be resting. Daryl got that she was worried but worry wasn’t going to do anything but hurt you.

               “It’s gonna take him ten hours just to get out of bed, Maggie, let him walk around. Ain’t like he can go far and if he does, just knock that crutch out from under him.” Daryl said, after Maggie had been fretting all throughout breakfast. He continued to eat his breakfast, when everyone else stopped to stare at him.

               Maggie almost looked offended by Daryl. When she opened her mouth to voice her opinion, Hershel stopped her with a laugh. A deep, loud, belly laugh that rang throughout the prison. That’s all it took before everyone else was joining in the laughter.

               “Oh yes! Daryl, you are a genius!” Beth managed to wipe some tears out of her eyes as she caught her breath. “You and I can be his body guards and if he doesn’t listen you just swipe that crutch out from under him! He’s going to fall over like a fish out of water.”

               “Beth!” Maggie cried out, but even she was giggling by now.

               “Babe, you have to admit. It’s a solid plan to keep your dad out of trouble.” Glenn grinned, before leaning over to ruffle Daryl’s hair. Daryl grumbled loudly but didn’t bother to stop Glenn, and in fact leaned into the touch. Glenn pretended not to notice how _starved_ Daryl still was.

               _It wasn’t going to change overnight._

               “He’s right. Maybe then Hershel can help out with some laundry.” Even Shane was laughing and joining in. Daryl felt his heart lift at everyone’s high spirits and for a split second he didn’t even think about the inmates – the only ones still alive – who were locked in the walker yard of the prison.

               Everything was perfect and good.

               So of course, that was when shit hit the fan.

               Daryl was with Shane and Glenn, searching a level near the outside when it happened. _It_ being, a horde of walkers somehow getting into the prison yard. Carol and Lori screamed right before a horde of walkers shoved their way through the outside doorway and into the hallway where Shane, Glenn and Daryl were.

               Their exit was blocked by several dozen walkers coming at them. Shane and Glenn both cursed, both turning in the opposite direction. Daryl followed after them, trying not to let his fear show. _There were so many walkers blocking their path._ He almost reached out for Glenn’s hand, inches away from him but pulled back at the last second.

               “Shit!” Shane hissed and Daryl ran into him when he and Glenn stopped short. “What the fuck?! What the fuck?!”

               Daryl blinked when he saw another group of walkers blocking the other exit down the hallway. His heart dropped to the floor and all of the color drained from his face. His breathing picked up and his hands shook as they gripped his crossbow tightly. _This was it. This was where we die._

               “What happened?!” Glenn roared over the sound of the walker moans. He and Shane spun around to try and find another exit while Daryl turned to face the group of walkers behind them.

               “I’m with you! You think I fucking know?!” Shane yelled back. Suddenly, Daryl felt one of them grabbing at the collar of his neck before shoving him into a dark room. He recognized it as one of the closets just beside an outside door. Glenn and Shane pressed themselves up against the now closed door, just as some walkers slammed themselves against it.

               Daryl jumped, quickly shoving his own body against the door, feeling the walkers struggling to get through. It was as if they were desperate and he could hear their moans and the sounds of the clawing at the door. Every time the door jerked their way, the three of them would shove as much force against the door as they could before pushing the walkers back. But no matter how much force the three of them gave, it wasn’t enough to close the door. There were too many walkers.

               It was only a matter of time before the walkers entered the closet. Then they were dead.

               Daryl could feel his hands beginning to shake but he tried harder and harder to keep the door closed. He chanced a look at Glenn and saw tears pooling in Glenn’s eyes. Daryl knew without asking that Glenn was thinking the same thing.

               “I’m sorry Daryl.” _No don’t do it. Please don’t._

               “I’m so sorry.” _No, please. You can’t leave me. You can’t leave me._

“I’m going to distract them.” _No. No. No. No. No. No. Please._

               “When they’re on me. You take him and you _run.” Please don’t leave me. Not again. Please don’t go._

               “You don’t look back.”

               _“No!”_ Daryl screamed out loud as Glenn began to back away from the door. Daryl shoved himself against the door, even harder, unwilling to let Glenn go. _Please no! Please._ Glenn shook his head sadly without wiping away the tears and Daryl’s vision blurred.

               “The vent.”

               Glenn frowned when Shane spoke and when he looked over at the other man, he noticed Shane nodding towards something. Looking around, Glenn’s heart soared when he saw an open vent in the corner ceiling of the room. He looked at Shane, eyes bright once more and Shane nodded. Although, just as he was about to speak, Shane shook his head.

               “You get Daryl up that vent and then _you_ go.” Shane commanded, grunting when the door creaked open a bit more. Several fingers shoved through the gap in the doorway and he swallowed. _“Now, Glenn._ We don’t have time for you to stand around.”

               Glenn was startled with realization of what Shane was doing. “But Shane, you…”

               “I can’t fit in that vent. You should still just be small enough. Besides, Daryl needs you. Not me. Maybe he needs Rick and the others, but he really needs _you.”_ At this, Shane’s expression softened and Glenn was hit with the memory of Shane before he’d gone insane. His voice was lost in his throat and he could only stare at Shane.

               Shane grunted when the door opened some more. “Go Glenn! Now!” He shouted, causing the walkers to shriek at the sound of his voice. When the door pushed against them again, Glenn snapped out of his stupor and snatched Daryl from under his armpits.

               Shocked, Daryl allowed Glenn to race with him across the room before holding him upright. He blinked when he noticed the open vent above him, before realizing what Glenn wanted. Quickly, he pulled himself up and into the vent with surprising strength. The sound of the walkers was already much quieter up here than below, however the loudest thing in the vents were Daryl’s breathing. He scrambled over to the edge of the vent when Glenn hadn’t moved and peeked down. The door was nearly open enough for the walkers to get through and Shane was struggling to keep them out.

               “Glenn?” Daryl cried and Glenn looked between him and Shane, clearly torn. “Glenn? Glenn?! Glenn!”

               “Get out of here! Now!” Shane roared to Glenn, who jumped in surprise. Quickly, Daryl reached down with one hand and prayed that Glenn would grab it. He looked at Shane with wide eyes to see Shane smiling at him.

               “I’m sorry Daryl. I wish things had been different.”

               It was then that Daryl felt a hand in his and he scrambled back into the vent and pulled with all of his might. Glenn clawed into the vent with his free hand while Daryl grabbed the back of his vest and pulled and pulled and pulled. He could feel Glenn still struggling as the sound of a door opening could be heard. Daryl could hear the walkers _eating_ Shane.

               “Don’t you dare give up! You fucking, stupid chinaman. Don’t you dare!” Daryl screamed when Glenn struggled tiredly. He pulled and pulled and pulled until he wasn’t pulling anymore. Then he was crying and crying, as Glenn pulled him into a desperate hug and clung to him. It was mortifying and embarrassing, crying in a bloody, dirty vent and clinging to each other but Daryl didn’t care.

               _Glenn was alive. Glenn was with him._

_Shane was dead._

               Daryl’s heart lurched as he remembered Shane’s apology but there was no time to think when Glenn had yanked on his arm to move forward. Hoping to get away from the walkers, Glenn and Daryl began the slow trek through the vents, looking for an escape. Every room they passed by had no way out or had a few straggling walkers in them. So they continued to crawl for what felt like hours, before they passed by a vent that looked outside.

               Daryl paused in crawling when he noticed something odd amongst the few walkers. He peered closer to get a better look outside and his blood boiled.

               “Someone cut open the lock on the south gate!” Daryl snarled, crawling towards the outside vent. Glenn frowned at this information but peered through the vent holes to confirm that what Daryl saw was true. He clenched his jaw shut and his eyes burned with fury.

               Someone had made their home unsafe.

               Someone had let these walkers in _on purpose._

               Daryl growled, upon seeing one walker that was walking a bit too _normal_ to be a walker. Someone wearing a familiar blue uniform and he kicked the vent open. The ventilation panel went flying across the yard, startling two walkers before Daryl had jumped down to the ground. Glenn was less than a second behind him, admiring the young boy as he fired off two arrows, killing the only walkers left in the yard. His eyes found Daryl’s target, instantly narrowing.

               “You! You motherfucking, piece of _trash!”_ Daryl yelled, already shooting off another arrow. This time the arrow embedded itself into the shoulder of the inmate, that Daryl remembered was Andrew. So it seems that one of them survived. He loaded up his crossbow and aimed again when Andrew yelped and clutched at the arrow in his shoulder. Firing again, Daryl’s shot landed in the other shoulder of the inmate, sending him to his knees.

               “How could you do this?! How could you do this to our _home?!”_ Daryl continued to yell and Glenn cocked his gun. He pressed it against Andrew’s head, when the inmate attempted to scramble away from the two of them. “How dare you?! How dare you?! I’m going to kill you! I’ll kill you!” Daryl’s eyes blazed and Glenn felt his entire demeanor grow cold. This was the man who _had_ let those walkers into their home. This was the man who had killed Shane, and who knows who else. This was the man that made their home unsafe.

               Their home that was supposed to be safe.

               Their home after the last home _burned down._

               Their _home._

               Without blinking, Glenn pulled the trigger before Andrew could even defend himself. The bullet tore through his head causing Andrew’s body to jerk before crumpling to the ground. Glenn stared wordlessly at the body, glancing over at Daryl. He was staring at Andrew’s limp body, still shaking with anger.

               “You shouldn’t have to carry that burden.” Glenn finally said. Daryl’s hands clenched into fists. “Not yet at least.”

               “He had to die!” Daryl argued and Glenn nodded.

               “Yes, but not at your hands. Not if I can help it. He got what he deserved.” Glenn said softly and Daryl only glared at the body. “Come on. Let’s close that gate and see if the others made it.” Glenn called over his shoulder. Daryl hesitated, opting to stare at the body. Glenn was slightly worried that Daryl would kick it or spit on it, but instead he followed after Glenn and quickly helped to closes the fence and shoot down any walkers that they came across. Once the yard was cleared out and several walkers were herded out to be killed, Glenn and Daryl walked in silence throughout the prison. They only spoke to kill walkers and help one another out.

               Finally, just before they reached the main courtyard, Daryl paused. A look of uncertainty and hesitation cross over Daryl’s face, worrying Glenn. He had only just begun to realize all that Daryl had been through in the last few weeks. It was soul crushing for someone like him, that he could only imagine the horrors that Daryl was facing. _What sort of demons was he thinking of?_ Especially considering what had just gone down in less than twenty-four hours.   

               “Glenn,” Daryl said quietly and Glenn swallowed.

               “Yeah?” He asked.

               Daryl looked at Glenn over his shoulder. “I’m glad I met you.”

               Glenn smiled so wide, that his cheeks had begun to hurt. “Me too Daryl. Me too.”

 

* * *

 

 

               The new baby was beautiful.

               At least that’s what Daryl thought. He was sad to hear that Lori was dead, along with Shane. Carol was probably dead too, since no one had seen her since the attack. Rick was on the verge of a breakdown in the courtyard after learning the truth from Carl. But Daryl thought the baby sure was pretty.

               A little girl. Born in the most chaotic moment of his family’s life. While she lived, her mother had died and everything was falling apart. Yet, not everything was if Daryl really thought about it.

               “She’s real pretty.” Daryl murmured, glancing down at the baby that was currently residing in Maggie’s arms. Glenn, Hershel, Beth and even Carl crowded around her. “’S it nice having a little sister?” Daryl turned to look at Carl who jumped in surprise.

               “Um, I guess. I dunno. But she is pretty.” Carl agreed with a cough. Maggie smiled at them.

               “You gots to protect her now that she’s your little sister. ‘S yer job as the big brother.” Daryl said absent mindedly. He missed the way that everyone flinched at his words and instead focused on the little baby.

               “Okay. I promise to protect her.” Carl said quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment for Daryl. Daryl simply nodded, not looking over at the other boy. Carl suddenly smiled. “But so do you.”

               Now Daryl looked at Carl in confusion. “What?”

               “You’re her big brother too. Both of us. So that means you gotta protect her and love her too.” Carl grinned again, feeling relief at being able to smile for the first time in over a day. For the first time since his mother had died.

               Daryl looked like a fish, the way he gaped and gawked at Carl. Around them, the adults all chuckled at his expression and Daryl huffed loudly. However, a small smile slipped over his face. Daryl would protect the baby. That was for certain; even if he died doing so.

               “Whatcha think little Ass Kicker? Do you want two brothers?” Daryl asked quietly, hearing everyone chuckle again. He huffed and pouted. “What ‘s a good name right? Huh, little Ass Kicker?” Beside him, Carl’s grin only widened. Maggie looked from the two boys to share a look with Glenn.

               Maybe their lives would never be perfect again.

               But they were happy in this moment.

               For now, that was enough.

              


	7. Who Will Save Me If You're Gone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I know it's been a month since my last update and I apologize. Life just gets in the way, but this chapter was so much fun to do and I actually liked how it turned out. Mostly. Plus I made it extra long to make up for my lack of updates! Thanks again to all the support you guys give this fic because without it I'd be nothing! Thanks for everyone comment, kudo and bookmark and to everyone who reads it! I always appreciate it! So, without further ado, please enjoy young Daryl Dixon's Adventures!

               Being a big brother was a serious job.

               Extremely serious and important.

               A job that should never be taken lightly and was a full-time commitment.

               At least, to Daryl it was. He was still learning from Carl, every now and again on how to do certain things. Like how to properly hold the new baby (he asked Carl how he knew this and Carl just shrugged) or how to feed her and keep her warm when the prison got a bit drafty. Sometimes Daryl felt bad because Carl was acting like a big brother now to the new baby _and_ Daryl. While Daryl secretly liked it and thought Carl made a much better big brother than Merle sometimes, he never admitted it out loud after seeing how tired Carl was.

               Rick was a mess.

               He’d cried after seeing Carl with the bloody newborn and Maggie. It was obvious when Lori didn’t follow after them that she was dead and that Carl had lost his mother and Rick his wife. After his moment of anguish, where Daryl was sure Rick was going to pass out, Rick had locked himself in the boiler room where Lori had died. He’d been there for a couple of weeks now and it was worrying everyone.

               Sometimes Daryl was annoyed that Rick had abandoned them to wallow in self-pity and sometimes he remembered the unbearable pain he had felt upon learning of Merle’s “death.” No matter what kind of a brother Merle was, he was still family and it had _hurt_ when Merle was gone.

               _It hurt so bad._

               Daryl only hoped that this new baby and the remaining group that was still alive would be enough to snap Rick out of his misery. As much as he loathed admitting it, they _needed_ Rick to survive. Hershel had told everyone to leave him alone for now to grieve.

               Carol was also gone.

               Shane, Lori and now Carol.

               Carol never showed up after the prison had been relocked and cleaned up once more. No one had seen or heard from her in the weeks after the incident. Daryl was the only one who had kept hope that Carol might still be alive, even if the logical part of him denied this. However, as more and more time passed without seeing Carol, Daryl only grew angry at her. He was furious that she couldn’t keep herself alive. _Why couldn’t she learn how to shoot a gun properly or fight?_ Daryl was angry that Carol was dead. First Sophia and now Carol and Daryl just cursed the both of them and their stupidity for not surviving.

               It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair.

               Luckily, the new baby had become a distraction for Daryl. She still didn’t have a name, as no one but the Grimes family should name her. Carl was hesitant to name his new sister and teared up if anyone ever mentioned the name, Lori. At least Daryl knew this baby wouldn’t be Lori Jr. That was still too fresh of a wound.

               The baby was growing every day, and every day someone was running out to get supplies for the baby in order to survive. Out of all of them, Daryl seemed the most determined to make sure the new baby survived. Usually, it was Glenn or Maggie, sometimes both, who went out on quick runs to the town to find baby formula and food, along with clothes for the new baby. But every day Daryl would demand to go with them and sometimes Maggie or Glenn would stay back and allow Daryl to go. Both of them had talked with one another and they knew that the nine-year-old needed to do this, after all, that he’d endured.

               Today Maggie had brought Daryl along with her for some baby formula. Every now and again she would glance over at Daryl as she drove and observe the kid. Daryl didn’t _look_ any different since the prison incident. Glenn had told her of Shane’s sacrifice and Daryl’s anger to wanting to kill Andrew.

               Maggie knew that her relationship with Daryl had been rocky since day one. She knew that he didn’t trust her and for the longest time the two of them shared a silent, mutual hatred for one another. However, as time passed and after the farm burned down and Maggie had rescued Daryl, they had started to stop hating each other so much. Maggie was growing fond of the little boy – and she would _kill_ Glenn if he ever said that to Daryl – and found herself becoming protective of him. She would admire his skills as a hunter and found herself proud when Daryl had found their _home._ She was worried sick when Daryl and Glenn had been separated from her and her family during the Walker incident at the prison, and she nearly couldn’t stop the tears from seeing Glenn _and_ Daryl alive. Of course, Maggie had kissed Glenn desperately and held on tight to him and couldn’t help herself to ruffle Daryl’s hair. It was the fondest gesture she’d done to Daryl since meeting him.

               “What’re we looking for?” Daryl finally asked once they had parked outside of what looked to have once been a daycare.

               “Mostly formula. But really anything we can find, even food for us.” Maggie explained, grabbing some guns from the back. She could hear Daryl loading up his crossbow beside her, before she handing him a gun.

               He sighed dramatically while she rolled her eyes and he eventually took the handgun and put it in the holster on his belt.

               “You might be fancy with that pretty bow of yours, but you never know when you’ll need a quick reload,” Maggie said, closing the car door and making her way into the building. Beside her, Daryl couldn’t help but grin cheekily. _Maybe she wasn’t awful._

               “You think my bow’s fancy?” He asked. The two of them turned on their flashlight and slowly began to check the building.        

               “Don’t be a brat.” Maggie scolded playfully. She turned to look into a room in order to hide the grin on her face and Daryl huffed. The two were silent as they continued to search throughout the building. At first, it was Maggie who was grabbing toys that weren’t covered in blood or dirt, and clothes, with Daryl, just watching. Soon enough, though, Daryl too would hesitantly pick out a toy or a piece of clothing and present it to Maggie.

               The whole time Maggie would smile and nod to put it in their bags.

               “Oh, she would love a toy like that.” Maggie would say or, “When she gets older that’ll be perfect for teething.”

               Every time Daryl would smile to himself with pride and Maggie would pretend not to notice. _I doubt Daryl would appreciate it if we made such a big deal of this._

               Eventually, Maggie and Daryl came across several cans of formula that wasn’t yet expired and they both quietly cheered. While Daryl loaded up their bags with the formula, Maggie continued to search the other rooms surrounding them. So far everything looked clear and Maggie figured they could leave after this. It was when she came to the last room of the building that her heart sunk to the floor.

               The room was littered with blood and bodies.

               Tiny, _innocent_ bodies.

               Some were mutilated and showed obvious signs that walkers had been near. Others had decaying grey skin, covered in wounds in blood with blank, murky eyes still open. Some were beyond recognition and Maggie nearly threw up.

               _They were children. Babies._

               Maggie had seen firsthand what walkers were capable of and the unfairness of this new world. A small part of her had hoped that horrors like this had been spared. She had prayed that it was just cruel to them, her family, but seeing these little bodies throughout the room, Maggie bitterly realized that she was the lucky one.

               “Maggie?”

               Maggie’s heart leaped into her throat upon hearing Daryl’s voice. She knew that she couldn’t let Daryl come into this room. After all that Daryl had endured, this child didn’t need to see any more horrors. Quickly, she left the room and nearly ran into Daryl. He frowned looking up at her and Maggie knew he must have seen her pale face and horrified expression.

               He tried to peek over Maggie’s shoulder to see what she had seen, only to be stopped by her hands on his shoulder.

               “Don’t go in there,” Maggie whispered hoarsely and Daryl winced.

               “Why? ‘S not any worse than what we’ve seen yet, right?” Daryl asked eyes narrowed. He attempted to push past her into the room, only for Maggie to squeeze his shoulders tightly. He winced at the pressure.

               “Daryl. Please. Do not go in there.” Maggie pleaded and Daryl’s eyes widened. He’d never heard Maggie beg before. Cautiously Daryl tried to peek in again and Maggie’s grip tightened.

               “Daryl, please.”

               Daryl swallowed, unused to the haunted look in Maggie’s eyes. His heart hammered in his chest and while he wanted to see what she had seen, he was terrified of the look in her eyes. In the past, Daryl would have completely ignored her warnings but now, now Maggie wasn’t a buttface but rather just an occasional meanie. She was actually fairly nice. Not that Daryl ever thought that, no way.

               Eventually, Daryl backed up and nodded. Maggie still kept one hand on Daryl, eyes wide but she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Nodding to herself, Maggie pushed Daryl back and the two headed back out of the building.

               Neither of them spoke causing Daryl to worryingly chew on his lip. Normally, Daryl wouldn’t mind the quiet but the look on Maggie’s face was still scaring him. It reminded him of Dale, just before he died.

               “What’s it like being a big sister?” Daryl blurted out and his face turned bright red. Silence followed, but the haunted look on Maggie’s face had finally been replaced by one of confusion. She stared at Daryl who avoided looking at her before a wry grin came over her lips.

               “My, did _someone_ become an official big brother?” Maggie teased, making Daryl blush again. Of course, she and Glenn had both overheard Carl’s announcement, and she found it adorable that Daryl was trying to learn all he could about being a big brother. For a second, Daryl remembered the scars that Daryl had all over his chest and back and remembered how Glenn would spit whenever Daryl’s older brother was mentioned.

               When Daryl didn’t answer, Maggie smiled to herself. “It’s annoying. A little sibling can be brats and get on your nerves. And they’re always so clingy. God, Beth never let me have a moment to myself.” Maggie explained. She saw Daryl curiously peering at her from the corner of her eye. “But it’s so worth it. When they smile because you chased away their nightmares, or laugh at some stupid joke you told them, or tell you that they love you when you manage to sneak them the last double chocolate-chip cookie.”

               Daryl laughed quietly to himself and Maggie’s grin grew.

               “Beth was always the nicer of us two. Everyone loved her, and she was sweet and kind and made friends with anyone.” Maggie explained. Daryl nodded in agreement. Since knowing Beth, he knew that to be true about the teenager. “So it was always my job to protect her because sometimes she was _too_ nice to everyone. I’m sure you know that some people can be dicks.”

               Daryl snorted but nodded. “So it was your job to protect her?”

               “Being an older sibling…isn’t a job,” Maggie explained slowly. “Not really. It’s just natural. But yeah, an older sibling protects the little one from danger. They must love their little sibling with all of their hearts so that their sibling can never ever feel like they are unwanted or unloved. You teach them how to do things, like your favorite games or hobbies or how to throw a perfect skipping stone.”

               “Like hunting?” Daryl asked. Maggie could clearly hear the excitement in his voice and she laughed quietly.

               “Yes, I’m sure you can teach her hunting. Rick would appreciate that.” Maggie replied. The two of them were quiet for a few more moments until they were inside their car. Maggie then started the car, but before they pulled away she looked over at Daryl with a smile. “You’re gonna be a good big brother Daryl. Just don’t fucking curse around the new baby.”

               She laughed the whole way home when Daryl moaned and threw an old map at her out of embarrassment. _He’ll be perfect because he’s a lucky one now._

 

* * *

 

               Glenn had known Michonne for almost a month now and he wasn’t quite sure what to think of her. Her wound was nearly healed up but she wasn’t making any preparations to leave, and admittedly, no one was forcing her to. Daryl seemed to trust her enough to talk to her more than anyone else here, and she had protected Daryl and Carl from those inmates despite being injured and outnumbered.

               Glenn didn’t see any problems with Michonne as Rick, Lori, and Shane had. But now Shane and Lori were dead and Rick was traumatized, so Glenn guessed that everyone left didn’t mind the woman. It wasn’t to say that Glenn didn’t’ trust Michonne because he didn’t. Not yet.

               While Maggie and Daryl had gone on the supply run today, Glenn had taken Michonne to clear out some more cell blocks. With Hershel missing a leg, Beth not being the best at fighting walkers, Carl watching over his new baby sister and all of their best fighters or survivalists _dead_ , MIA or on a run, Michonne was the only other person capable of watching Glenn’s back.

 _Beth needs to learn to fight. Maggie should teach her. Hershel might have to start watching the baby so Carl can still help out if Rick doesn’t snap out of his misery anytime soon._ Glenn thought to himself as he and Michonne cleared out another hallway. The two worked mostly in silence, only speaking to relay orders or if there were walkers present.

               Which was why he was surprised when Michonne actually addressed him.

               “Are you Daryl’s father?”

               Glenn nearly choked on his own spit. He did slip on a pool of blood but luckily he caught himself before he could fall. He turned to stare at Michonne only for her to already be staring at him with that unblinking look she usually had. Glenn almost shuddered, but he refused to show weakness now.

               “What?”

               “Are you Daryl’s father?” Michonne asked again, this time looking annoyed. Glenn frowned. “You and he are very close. It’s something that I’ve noticed since arriving here.”

               “Um, no.” Glenn finally said, shaking his head. _You’re not his father, no matter how much you feel like it. You’ve only known the kid for less than a year._ “I’m not. His dad’s dead. We were a group with him and his brother.”

               Michonne mauled over this information. “But he thinks of you as his father now?”

               Glenn felt his heart skip a beat. _How I wish._ He stomped down the feeling of hope, by stabbing a straggling walker through the head. The hallway was clear enough for them to keep moving forward.

               “I don’t know, you’d have to ask Daryl that. I doubt it. We’re just…family.” Glenn responded. Michonne easily followed after him.

               “I think he does.” She continued, causing Glenn to tiredly sigh. He didn’t know why the woman couldn’t just drop this topic. It was pretty obvious that Glenn would rather not talk about this, and typically Michonne wasn’t this chatty. _What’s the deal today?_

               “And why would you say that?” Glenn couldn’t help but ask.

               For a few brief moments, Michonne was silent, giving Glenn the satisfaction that she didn’t know what she was talking about. Just as he was about to head down the hallway, he was stopped by Michonne’s hand on his wrist.

               “He loves you very much.” Michonne said, and Glenn could feel his heart skip a beat. “More than anyone else here. You are the person he goes to after nightmares. He follows you around like a lost puppy, idolizing you. He always smiles when you pat him on the head or praise him after a run. Whether or not, you believe it, Daryl has considered you to be a most precious person in his life. He might be a child but you’d be surprised at how perceptive a child can be.”

               Glenn was at a loss for words. So he settled for saying, “You speak as if from experience.”

               Michonne’s eyes softened for a fraction of a second – so quick that Glenn almost thought that he had imagined it. “I know children. I may not know Daryl well, but I know that child has more love in his than any one of us,” _His heart is so big._ “And most of it is for you.”

               Glenn’s throat felt dry.

               Michonne brushed past him, walking down the hall. This time she felt much gentler than ever before and Glenn swallowed. “You told me that I needed to remember how Daryl had protected him and put me before his family. I think you should realize how important you are to the boy. He’s grown to love you more and more every day.”

               “He’s not the only one.” Glenn managed to say without hesitation.

               This time, Michonne did smile at Glenn for the first time. “I know.”

               The moment was ruined by a small but continuous thud coming from down the hallway. It sounded like a door hitting against something. Immediately, Michonne and Glenn shared a look with one another. They were already forming a plan between one another and with a nod, Glenn moved in front of Michonne. He raised his gun with Michonne right behind him. As they got closer to the sound, they could see that it was, in fact, a door. It was gently pushing open a crack, before falling back and being pushed open again. Looking over his shoulder, Glenn saw Michonne nod at him as she crept around to the other side of the door.

               After three seconds, Glenn sprung into action and pulled the door all the way open before aiming his gun. Michonne was right beside him and both of them blinked in surprise.

               “Carol?” Glenn breathed upon seeing the figure on the ground. It was indeed Carol, lying on the floor. Thankfully, Glenn could see the rise and fall of her chest signaling that she was still alive and Glenn almost slumped to the floor. Michonne helped Glenn pick Carol up, who was unconscious and dehydrated, without argument and for that Glenn was thankful for.

               _Daryl is going to be thrilled._

               And thrilled he was.

               Daryl had already been in a good mood after the run with Maggie, and after checking on the baby he’d followed Glenn to a cell in their cell block. Upon seeing Carol in bed, looking at him and _alive_ Daryl had immediately run to her side. Just as Glenn was leaving he heard Daryl quietly say thank you and Glenn’s heart soared.

               “Don’t you ever do that again.” Daryl scolded lightly, fixing the blankets around Carol. She laughed weakly, coughing afterward and Daryl was quick to get her some water. Carol smiled gratefully at Daryl, reaching out with shaking hands to brush back his hair.

               “I’m sorry Pookie.” She said softly. Daryl could feel a familiar burning feeling behind his eyes, and he tried to wipe the tears away. Carol’s hand, though frail and trembling, felt soft and warm in Daryl’s hair. He felt himself leaning into the touch against Carol’s bed, causing Carol to chuckle.

               “I know you probably wanna see yer Sophia,” Daryl said quietly. Carol’s hand stilled in his hair and Daryl almost regretted speaking. “But I’m real glad you’re still here with us.”

               “I’d rather be here,” Carol admitted quietly. “It’s why I fought to keep alive. I miss my Sophia every day and one day I will see her again, but for now, I want to live and to be with you and our family.” Daryl ducked under her touch when new tears sprung to his eyes. For a while, Daryl laid at her bedside, while she rested and healed.

               Over the time, the pain in his heart lessened and Daryl thought he could be happy again.

               However, there was still a problem: Rick.

               “He still down there?” Daryl asked when Glenn emerged from the downstairs rooms. He looked tired and haggard, making Daryl’s heart twist painfully. Glenn was exhausted having to take over Rick’s roll. Between keeping the prison on security, supply runs and keeping everyone safe, Glenn was only running on steam. It was impossible for him to do all this alone, and it hurt Daryl to see Glenn so tired. He knew at this rate that Glenn would run himself into the ground and it made Daryl’s blood boil.

               He knew the others were doing their best to help.

               Maggie had taken up the role of creating rotations for watches over the prison and checked up on the security. Once Carol was better, she went back to doing all the inside chores with Hershel’s help. Carl had finally helped to teach Beth _and_ Carol how to properly shoot a gun and wield a weapon. Beth was now helping on supply runs and watching over the new baby, who was still nameless.

               However, without Rick, it was taking a toll on Glenn and everyone else. And it made Daryl furious.

               Glenn nodded, absentmindedly reaching out to brush some of Daryl’s hair back. It was starting to get long after months of not being cut. Daryl didn’t flinch away anymore when it came to Glenn’s touch, and more often he leaned into them. Since Carol’s return, Daryl had been a lot more open to receiving affection from certain people and it brought a small smile to Glenn’s exhausted face.

               “You need sleep.” Daryl finally commented, causing Glenn to chuckle.

               “There’s still a lot I’ve got to do,” Glenn argued, while Daryl crossed his arms over his chest to signify that he clearly wasn’t amused. To Glenn, it was an absolutely adorable sight, but there was no way in hell that he was going to admit that out loud.

               “Like what?”

               “Well, we need food for dinner tonight.” Glenn began only for Daryl to interrupt with a snort.

               “I hunted yesterday. Carol’s already making the stew for tonight, so that’s done.” Daryl stated and Glenn deflated.

               “We need to make a sweep of the bottom cells,”

               “Nope. We did that yesterday. We cleaned out all the lower cells. Maggie was gonna go back into the kitchen and count stock of what we have.” Daryl said.

               “Well, she’ll need help.”

               “And she’s got Beth and Hershel.”

               “There’s watch tonight.”

               “Michonne’s covering the first watch. Then Maggie. Then Carl. Then Beth. Then me. _Then_ you.”

               Finally, when Glenn had nothing else to argue with, did Daryl finally grin. He gave Glenn at patronizing pat on the head and headed out of their shared cell. “Now you jus’ rest up. Ima go find Rick.” Before Glenn even had the chance to protest, Daryl had pulled the cell door shut and shimmied the keys out of his pocket, before locking up the cell.

               He ignored Glenn’s cursing and muttering behind him and headed towards the lower levels. Thankfully no one ran into Daryl as he made his way down to where Rick was supposedly at. His heart hammered painfully in his chest the lower and lower he got. It was dark down in the lower levels, even with the flashlight he had.

               Daryl startled at every tiny noise, hands gripping his crossbow tightly. His eyes darted around every inch of the dark hallways and his throat tightened. He could feel a small bit of fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach the further and further down he went. _The last time he was down here, Shane was dead, and Glenn had nearly died too._

               However, Daryl was determined not to let some haunted memories prevent him from the mission he had _. He had to do this. He had to._

               Finally, Daryl could see several sets of bloody footprints headed towards the boiler room. The footprints were hard and crusty, signifying they were several weeks old and Daryl felt his stomach churn. He didn’t exactly know what had happened to Lori, as Maggie and Carl had refused to talk about it. But their faces were haunted the day Lori had died and while the baby had lived, Lori had died and there wasn't a body that came up to be buried. Slowly, Daryl entered the boiler room and his stomach churned again.

               In the corner of the room, there were the remains of a bloated, rotting Walker, who had been beaten until it was nothing more than a mess of blood and meat. It was obviously dead, but that didn’t stop Daryl from inching as far away from the Walker as possible. He could put two and two together and his heart nearly sunk. _Lori…_

               A small noise startled Daryl into nearly dropping his flashlight. Aiming his crossbow, Daryl was relieved to see that it was only Rick, sitting with his back to Daryl, on the floor. Rick was muttering things under his breath and Daryl then saw the broken phone on the ground beside him.

               “Rick?” Daryl finally asked, forcing past the lump in his throat.

               Rick’s back tensed and his muttering ceased, but he didn’t turn around.

               “Rick?” Daryl tried again, this time taking a step closer to Rick. Rick’s body tensed even more and for a moment, Daryl debated if it was a good idea to approach the man. He’d seen his pa in a similar state as Rick, only when he was drunk, and Daryl had remembered that it was _never_ a good idea to startle his pa when he was like this. He had scars as a reminder.

               “Rick?”

               “Go back Daryl.” Rick finally croaked. Daryl was surprised at how scratchy and hoarse Rick’s voice was, but he was relieved that Rick recognized his voice. It meant that Rick wasn’t so far gone and that everything _should_ be easier now.

               “No. Not until you come back too.” Daryl said stubbornly. He set his crossbow back down at his side but made no further move to get closer to Rick. Rick remained where he was too, back still facing Daryl.

               “Daryl, go back. I won’t say it again.” Rick said softly and Daryl rolled his eyes.

               “No. This is ridiculous Rick.” Daryl said and Rick’s shoulders pinched together. “You can’t hide down here for the rest of your life. It’s not fair.”

               “My wife is _dead.”_ Rick finally hissed. When he turned around to face Daryl, Daryl took a step back. Rick’s eyes were bloodshot and held this crazed look in them. His hair was wild and a beard was beginning to grow from being so unkept. It was unnerving to see someone as strong as Rick being broken down like this. Daryl had always seen Rick as indestructible, but now – now Rick looked _human._ It sent shivers down Daryl’s back.

               “So is _Merle._ My brother,” Daryl couldn’t help but shoot back at Rick. “And Shane. And T-Dog. And probably Andrea. And Amy. And Dale. And Jimmy.” Rick flinched finally, as Daryl went on and on with the list of people who had died. Daryl clenched his fists at his sides and stood his ground even when Rick stared at him to the point of making his skin itch.

               “A lot of people are dead Rick,” Daryl said bluntly causing Rick to flinch again. “And Lori deserves you ta be sad over her, but there’s also a lot of people alive. People who need you back – need you to be a leader!”

               “I can’t,” Rick choked. This only further angered Daryl. _How dare he say that?_ “Look at what I’ve caused. I let these people into our prison and now because of me all these people died! Lori died!”

               “But we’re still alive!” Daryl yelled back when Rick shot to his feet. Despite Rick being an adult and towering over Daryl, Daryl didn’t once back down or submit. “Glenn, Beth, Hershel! Maggie, Carol, Carl! Your baby! All of us are still alive!”

               “It doesn’t matter.” Rick nearly wailed and Daryl wanted to punch him in the face. A good punch right to his nose would be nice.

               “How?!” Daryl snarled. “How is that even fair?! How could you say that when your son needs you now _more than ever!_ He watched his mom die, Rick! He watched her die and instead of being there for him, you’re crying over nothin’! How is this fair when your baby girl needs you! You have a daughter! A daughter who doesn’t have a name and who was innocent in all this, but you won’t see her because you think she killed Lori!”

               “No!” Rick hissed.

               “Yes! Otherwise, you’d be there for your children!” Daryl finally screamed. He was humiliated to see tears were pooling in his eyes and blurring his vision to the point where he almost couldn’t see Rick. His chest heaved painfully with every breath he took. “You’d be there for them. For all of us. You’re nothing but a coward Rick.” Daryl finally choked out. He knew he was close to tears but Daryl _refused_ to give the satisfaction of making Daryl cry.

               Instead, he stormed out of the room without the flashlight before booking it back upstairs. He ignored Michonne and Maggie’s concerned calls for him before tucking himself away into a small corner of the prison.

               Only there did Daryl finally cry.

               He didn’t make a sound, nor did he let any tears drip on the floor.

               And when Glenn finally found him a few hours later, Glenn sat across from Daryl and waited until Daryl untucked himself from the corner. Then he pulled Daryl into a silent hug that Daryl held on tightly too.

 

* * *

 

               Everyone was stunned when Rick emerged from the lower cells the next day. He was cleanly shaved, though his clothes were still old and dirty. He had a flashlight in one hand. Everyone stopped eating their breakfast, to stare at Rick as if he were a ghost. As if he would run back down to the boiler room if any of them blinked.

               The first person that Rick went to was Glenn.

               After standing, Glenn clenched his jaw tightly and was prepared to start yelling. However, he was stunned when Rick nodded at him and clapped him on the back.

               “Thank you for taking care of everyone while I was stupid,” Rick finally said. “You’re the best right-hand man and a natural leader – better than myself because you took care of your people despite everything that happened. Thank you.” It didn’t make everything better, but Glenn held his respect for Rick once more. Apologizing was a start.

               “Are you staying?” Glenn managed to say.

               “Yes.”

               Glenn nodded and sat back down next to Daryl. Rick surveyed every other person in the room and swallowed thickly.

               “I wanted to apologize for my behavior. It was uncalled for. I shouldn’t have abandoned you all in my misery.” Rick said. No one responded but no one needed to. Over time these wounds would heal. “It was wrong of me to stay down there for so long, but if I may, I would like to remain up here with you all, and have some breakfast.”

               “Of course Rick.” Carol finally smiled and moved to grab another bowl off the table. Hesitantly, Rick sat down beside Daryl and Carl. He then turned to Daryl who was staring right at him with narrowed eyes.

               “Thank you for talking sense into me. It was exactly what I needed to hear.” Rick said quietly, so no one other than Daryl and Glenn could hear. Daryl shrugged and went back to his breakfast, only to be momentarily shocked by the quick side hug from Rick. It was over quickly, and Daryl almost missed the warmth of Rick. However, as Rick turned to Carl to give his son a hug and an apology of his own, Daryl couldn’t help but smile.

               “And this is baby Judith.” Carl finally said softly. Rick’s eyes were watery as he was presented the small baby. “I couldn’t – I didn’t want to name her after _mom._ But my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Judith, I always liked that name.”

               “It’s beautiful Carl. Thank you.”

               All was well once more.

 

* * *

 

               It wasn’t uncommon anymore for Daryl to go on supply runs with others. Especially if supplies for baby Judith were involved. It was as if Daryl had been honored the title to be the one to always go when baby Judith needed new supplies. Beth had even jokingly said that Daryl was going to be Judith’s nanny rather than a brother. Of course, Rick found this highly amusing and had also honored Daryl with the title of nanny to watch over baby Judith whenever he wanted.

               Life was still a bit rocky with Rick, but soon enough everything was returning to normal. Or as normal as this world could be.

               Daryl _never_ went on supply runs alone. He never went on hunts alone so there was no reason for him to be on supply runs alone. Typically, it was Glenn who went with Daryl, since Glenn was the best runner they had. Sometimes Maggie went with Daryl and sometimes both of them went.

               Carol and Beth usually stayed behind with Hershel to take care of everything. Carl often went on smaller runs with Rick but mainly stayed for perimeter checks, and to watch Judith. Daryl felt himself swelling with pride every time he returned with supplies for baby Judith and Judith would always demand to be the first to see Daryl when he returned.

               This time Maggie, Glenn and Daryl had gone on a sudden run for baby formula. They had some at the prison but with chilling temperatures rapidly approaching, they needed to be as prepared as they could for baby Judith’s first winter. Daryl was already fretting over her and it was adorable to say. Glenn never told Daryl this but Maggie found great amusement in telling Daryl.

               It was a typical run, and they even had all of their supplies ready to load up the car. That was when Daryl saw _them._

               “Hey!” He yelled at two men, both bigger and heavier than Glenn, who was peeking into their car. The two men pulled out guns and aimed them at Daryl, Glenn and Maggie causing the three to do the same. Maggie dropped the basket of formula in favor of pulling out her gun.

               “Well, well, well, what is it we got here?” One of them men chuckled darkly. “Feeding the little brat.” His eyes racked over Daryl and Daryl resisted the urge to shudder. “What a lovely family.”

               “Who are you?” Glenn asked, trying to put himself between the two men and Daryl.

               “Ain’t none of your business. What I wanna know is what a cute little family like y’all, are doing alone in the Governor’s territory?” The same man asked.

               “Who the hell is the Governor?” Daryl spat and the two men whistled.

               “That’s some foul language there for a pretty little kid. Better watch that pretty mouth of yours, boy.” The second man grinned manically, and Daryl swallowed. Glenn almost saw red and his finger itched on the trigger of his gun. Maggie must have felt the same way because she looked two seconds away from shooting these goons between the eyes. Glenn tried to remember the last time he had felt remorse for not hesitating to be ready to shoot a living person. It felt so long ago.

               “What do you want?” Glenn demanded. “You’re outnumbered.”

               “You think that kid of yours can shoot better than either of us?” The second man snorted and the first rolled his eyes. Glenn simply smirked at the two.    

               “Yup,” Glenn said easily. Daryl’s eyes narrowed on the two men in front of them, both looking far too relaxed for the situation. Instantly, his nerves were haywire, and his body was screaming that something was wrong. _Something was wrong._ His hands tensed on the gun, eyes still trained on the two men, when he saw the second man’s eyes barely flicker to a spot behind Glenn. It was gone in a flash and Daryl’s eyes widened in realization.

               “Glenn!” He shouted only for it to be in vain. In the next second, a _third_ man had slammed the butt of his shotgun on Glenn’s neck. Glenn cried out and crumpled to the floor, immobile, causing Maggie and Daryl to shout. This gave the other two men enough time to grab a hold of Daryl’s arms.

               Daryl thrashed violently, fear washing through him. He kicked and screamed and struggled as hard as he could, but it was no use. The first man who had spoken to them was way bigger than Daryl. He had probably a good two hundred pounds in muscle and weight on Daryl, plus Daryl was _nine._ He was no match for a full grown man and it made Daryl sick to his stomach. When the man shoved Daryl’s face into the ground, he struggled uselessly against the hold.

               “Now, now, don’t be making any stupid decisions boy. There’s no need for all this fighting.” The man whispered into Daryl’s ear, sending shivers down his spine.

               “Fuck. Off.” Daryl hissed, trying to see Glenn or Maggie. However, his heart sunk when he saw that Glenn was still on the floor and the second man had Maggie in a choke hold.

               Suddenly, pain exploded in the back of Daryl’s head due to a fist punching him. He saw stars and numbly stopped struggling for a moment, allowing the man to push off him.

               “That’s a good boy. Stop yer struggling.”

               “Leave him alone! He has no part in this! He’s just a kid!” Daryl heard Maggie screaming, but everything was sounding a bit muffled to him. His head was throbbing and by now his whole body hurt. All he could think about was Glenn, Glenn, _Glenn. Was he okay? Was Maggie hurt too?_

               “Now, you’re both gonna come with us. And we’re gonna take Mr. Bigshot with us too, so we can all have a nice discussion with the Governor. If not,” The first man, who was holding Daryl down, said. Daryl suddenly heard the sound of a gun clicking and tears were burning behind his eyes. “Then we’ll just start by killing Mr. Bigshot.”

               _Glenn._

               Neither Maggie nor Daryl said anything after that. Daryl could practically feel the first man’s leering grin.

               “Great. Now how about we take _your_ car.”

 

* * *

 

               Daryl was scared.

               More scared than when the Walkers had overrun the barn, and Daryl had thought _nothing_ could be scarier than that hoard. However, right now in this moment, strapped to this chair Daryl was _terrified._

               He had been separated from Maggie and Glenn and had little idea as to where they were. He figured that they were probably separated too and in a similar room as Daryl, but other than that Daryl was on his own. _He felt so alone; so very alone._ Daryl tugged against his duct-taped wrists and found it useless. He’d been alone in this dirty, dark room for who knows how long and each second that past by, Daryl was growing more and more afraid.

               He was ashamed to admit that he wanted Glenn.

               Daryl eyed the metal sheets posing as walls and he couldn’t help but wonder if Glenn was on the other side of that wall. However, he was afraid that if he made even the slightest noise, that Glenn would be killed. Something in those men’s eyes wasn't right and Daryl had no doubt that they would use _any_ excuse to kill them.

               The door opened with a slam and Daryl jumped.

               He saw a man entering the room and for a split second, Daryl’s heart froze. He swallowed past the lump in his throat when he saw the man who had grabbed him before entering after the first man. Daryl’s feet barely scrapped against the floor as he tried to push his chair back.

               “Hello, now there’s no need to be frightened son,” The first man said, with a thick southern accent. It was different from Daryl’s in which, to Daryl, it sounded more sophisticated. _A snob._ The man circled around Daryl, eyeing him as if he were a piece of meat, while the kidnapper from before leaned back against the wall with a dark grin.

               “I am the Governor. Can I get your name?” The man asked but Daryl clamped his mouth shut. While the man who had hit Daryl looked amused, the first man only stared.

               “I’m sorry, you must be very confused. See, I am the Governor of a sanctuary called Woodberry. It’s where many of us survivors are living after the military failed to protect our people. We’ve sort of, reestablished a society here amongst the chaos and I am the Governor.” The man finally explained. Still, Daryl kept his mouth shut and eyed the man warily. “My men here, Jameson, well he tells me that he found you on our territory taking supplies.” The Governor pointed back to the man who had taken Daryl. Said man waved and Daryl’s stomach dropped.

               “Now, here at Woodbury we are always welcoming to new people in our town. That includes you. We can offer you and your parents a home, that’s safe from the apocalypse and well protected,” The Governor continued before taking a seat across from Daryl. Daryl wanted to badly to move back but he was stuck.

               “No more running. No more trying to _survive._ You and your parents could live again. However,” The Governor said, frowning a bit. “I need you to tell me what you were doing in my territory son. That’s all. Then I can let you and your parents go.” The Governor then sat back and folded his hands in his lap. Daryl’s eyes narrowed while his heart hammered in his chest.

               He kept silent.

               The Governor sighed, while Jameson cracked his neck. “Now son, I don’t want to be the bad guy here. I’m trying to offer my generosity and help you and your folks. But you were getting a big supply for just three people. Which leads me to believe that there are _more_ of you in my territory. And when there are unknown people in my territory, well I take that as a threat. The protection of Woodbury is not a joking matter to me.”           

               Daryl’s eyes widened. _The prison. Everyone else!_

               “Oh,” The Governor said, one of his eyebrows raising in curiosity. “So there are more of you? Now, see, that there is a threat to my people. We don’t know you or your people and who is to say that you’re not a threat to us?”

               “We’re not.” Daryl finally muttered angrily.

               “So, you can speak?” The Governor grinned.

               “Careful, kid’s got a nasty tongue on him.” Jameson piped up from the background and Daryl growled at the man.

               “Hey now,” Suddenly there was a knife protruding from the table. Daryl flinched when the Governor had slammed the knife down on the table between them. “There’s no need to be so rude. I understand my colleague can be a bit brash and I will remind him to _behave_ in front of our guests.” The Governor turned around in his chair to stare at Jameson, who cheekily waved.

               “Yes sir, I apologize kid.”

               “Better,” The Governor smiled before turning back to face Daryl. “Now kid, like I said before, I don’t wanna be the bad guy here but your people are a threat to mine.”

               “How?” Daryl croaked. The Governor frowned at Daryl’s interruption, causing Daryl’s heart to race.

               “Well, you’re all strangers and sadly we’ve met a lot of bad strangers here. I don’t take any more chances.” The Governor shrugged. Daryl winced as the Governor dug the knife out of the table and fiddled with the blade. “This is fine if you don’t want to talk. I offered you sanctuary in my town, but if you still refuse to talk, then your father _and_ your mother will pay the price.”

               It was then that Daryl could hear the sounds of someone hitting another person. He could easily recognize the sound of fists and metal hitting against flesh, even with it being muffled by the wall. Every now and again, Daryl could hear a voice grunting in pain and his throat tightened.

_Glenn._

               Daryl’s throat squeezed suddenly, and he couldn’t even speak anymore if he wanted to. _Glenn. They were hurting Glenn. And probably Maggie too._ Daryl twisted violently in his seat, wrists sore from struggling against the tape.

               “No. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.” Daryl mumbled over and over. The noises didn’t stop and the Governor simply sat back, as if watching an amusing show. Glenn grunted in pain again. “Stop it! Stop!”

               “Leave him alone!” Daryl heard Glenn suddenly yell and his whole world crashed. _It was really Glenn. They were going to kill Glenn._ Daryl was torn. He couldn’t let these people kill Glenn because then it would _kill_ him. There wasn’t anything left in his new life if there was no Glenn but at the same time, Daryl couldn’t give up Rick and the others. They didn’t deserve that death while they lived.

               _This wasn’t fair._

_It’s not fair._

               “Jameson, tell M to stop.” The Governor said quietly. Jameson sneered with a heavy frown but left the room to do as the Governor said. In a few minutes, the hitting stopped as did Glenn’s yells.

               “Now kid, I’ll ask again,” The Governor leaned across the table and Daryl swallowed. “Where is the rest of your group?”

 

* * *

 

               Glenn was bleeding. His head was throbbing, and his nose was probably broken as were several bones in his body. Everything ached, and Glenn just wanted to _sleep._ But Daryl and Maggie were in trouble. Daryl and Maggie could be _hurt._

               That infuriated Glenn.

               So, Glenn kept his mouth shut. It was a terrifying moment to see Merle Dixon, _alive_ and with a knife for a hand, walk into his cell. Merle Dixon seemed surprised to see Glenn, if only for a second before he was laughing darkly at the circumstances. Once before, Glenn had been scared of Merle Dixon, but that had been long ago. Now, Merle was nothing but the scum on the bottom of Glenn’s boots. Merle didn’t scare him.

               Not anymore.

               Merle wouldn’t scare Daryl anymore either.

               “Well, well, well,” Merle Dixon laughed as he sauntered up to the table, after having beaten Glenn to a bloody mess. If Glenn’s wrists weren’t tied down to his chair, he would have jumped Merle the second he saw him. _How dare he lives after all he did to Daryl?!_ “How the tables have turned Chinaman. You’re in deep shit now.”

               Glenn bit his tongue to keep from replying.

               “What? Got nothing to say? Gonna hide with your tail between your legs as you always did? Like a coward? Like when you _left_ me to die?” Merle said and Glenn growled.

               “We went back for you! But you weren’t there.” Glenn finally said through gritted teeth. Merle spat on the table in front of Glenn.

               “Were you expecting me to wait?” He snarled, grabbing a hold of Glenn’s face. Glenn glared at Merle through bruised and bloody eyes. “How touching, but I escaped and then Woodbury found me. They helped me and gave me this new fancy arm.” Merle held up the stump with a blade attached to one end. There was nothing fancy about it, other than it could easily kill someone.

               “We were gonna help you,” Glenn said tightly, eyes darting towards the metal sheet on the wall. _Daryl was behind that wall._

               “I don’t care about that,” Merle said before punching Glenn once more in the mouth. “You left me to die like scum, but now I’m living like a _king_ in Woodbury. This – this is where I belong and the best part: I get to beat up scum like you that break into our territory.” Merle’s grin was sadistic and Glenn couldn’t believe he hadn’t been able to see how _evil_ Merle had been when he was in their group. It was sickening to know he was okay with all this happening to his biological baby brother.

               “We weren’t breaking or stealing. We just needed some formula and then we were leaving.” Glenn said out of breath.

               “I hear you got a kid with you. Hooking up with that chick we brought in too? She’s a fine woman.” Merle whistled, causing Glenn to clench his hands.

               “Don’t talk about her like that!”

               “What she the baby mama? You got yourself a baby too? Is that why you needed formula?” Merle laughed, toying with the knife on his stump. Glenn snarled again. “Too bad you got some kid in this mess. Ain’t nobody innocent though, not even kids. Shame, knowing the Governor's plans for him and for each of you.”

               Glenn leaned forward in his chair, almost jumping to his feet. He was stopped when Merle shoved him back and spit in his face. “What is he doing to _him?!”_

               “Ain’t none of your business chink,” Merle said darkly.

               “Don’t you dare let anyone lay a hand on him!”

               “Can’t promise you that,” Merle shrugged with a dirty grin. “Though, I _can_ promise that you, that kid and that woman will _die_ unless you tell me where the rest of your group is.”

               “How can you do this?!” Glenn screamed.

               “Because it’s fun!” Merle laughed again.

               “That’s your brother!” Glenn screamed, and this time Merle didn’t laugh. Instead, his face morphed into a look of anger.

               “What?” He grabbed a hold of Glenn’s shirt and lifted Glenn and the chair off the ground.

               _“That’s Daryl in there you fucking idiot!”_ Merle slammed Glenn back onto the ground and pounded into Glenn’s head and face.

               “You ruined my baby brother? You turning into some kind of _pussy?”_ Merle snarled as he beat Glenn over and over again. Glenn couldn’t even get a word out in-between blows. “You making him your bitch now?!”

               “Merle,” There was a knock on the door. Instantly, Merle stopped and straightened. He and Glenn waited in silence for a second. “The Governor wants you to bring the prisoner outside room one. Now.”

               “Yes, sir.” Merle answered. He listened to the sounds of footsteps walking down the hall before turning his murderous gaze on Glenn. He began ripping the tap off Glenn’s arms, not caring if it drew back skin or blood. Once Glenn’s hands were free, Merle grabbed Glenn by the shoulders and hoisted him up. Due to fatigue and pain, Glenn could only allow Merle to drag him around and tape his arms together behind his back. Only then did the two of them leave the room.

               Glenn stumbled and was shoved down a hall until they reached a window, where two other men were waiting and _Maggie._ Maggie was holding her arms over her _bare_ chest and hunched in on herself.

               “You fuckers!” Glenn suddenly shouted, trying to jump at the man closest to Maggie. He was immediately restrained by Merle and another guy but that didn’t stop Glenn from lashing out. “What did you do to her?!”  
               Glenn! I’m okay, it’s okay.” Maggie pleaded but Glenn only snarled again.

               “I’d say she looks much better than you. We did what we had to, to try and get information out of you all, but it would see that you’re both rather stubborn.” The man sighed sadly. “Maggie and your kid have already had proper introductions, but I am the Governor and I run this show.”

               “Why are you doing this? We aren’t a threat!” Glenn hissed, struggling against Merle’s hold.

               “I don’t know that and as the going says, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” The Governor said before looking through a window in the hall. Maggie and Glenn shared a desperate look before both were drawn into the window. Upon seeing what was inside the room, through the window, the gasped and tried to make a break for the window.

               However, the two henchmen with the Governor grabbed them easily and held them back. Merle’s fingers dug painfully into Glenn’s shoulder. He must have also seen what was in the room.

               For inside the room was Daryl, strapped to a chair as Maggie and Glenn both had been. The side of his face was caked with blood, coming from a cut near his temple. There was already some bruises forming on his face too and Glenn’s blood boiled.

               “He’s a kid! A goddamn kid! Leave him out of this!” Glenn violently tried to rip away from Merle’s grip.

               “How dare you.” Maggie’s voice shook with fury.

               “I do what I must. No one is innocent when it comes to treason, not even kids.” The Governor stated, making Glenn wish he could strangle the man with his bare hands. Maggie’s eyes looked murderous as they stared at the Governor. “Right Merle?”

               Glenn held his breath when Merle tensed behind him. His heart thudded in his cage as he prayed that for once in Merle Dixon’s life, that he would do the right thing.

               “Yes, sir. Don’t matter if it’s a kid.” Merle finally said and Glenn spit at Merle’s feet. A newfound hatred filled Glenn up for Merle and his entire body shook with rage. _Merle Dixon would die by Glenn’s hand and pay for all he did to Daryl._ He was shocked that Merle would betray his own flesh and blood – his _baby_ brother’s life for his own.

               Merle Dixon was a coward.

               He was scum.

               He deserved to rot in this world.

               “Alright. Let it in.” The Governor motioned to a third henchman who was waiting outside the door on the other side of Daryl’s door. Glenn’s heart was ready to jump out of his chest, and it snapped entirely when the door opened, to reveal a struggling Walker on a chain that the henchman was holding. His entire world titled when the man released the Walker into Daryl’s room.

               The Walker stumbled for a second before it smelt the fresh blood on Daryl’s face. Then it was racing towards Daryl. It choked back on the chain that was still being held by the third henchman.

               “Stop! Stop! Don’t do this!” Maggie screamed, forcefully trying to throw her body at the window.

               “He’s innocent! Get it out! Get it out of there!” Glenn roared. Merle was losing his grip on Glenn, and it took the other _two_ men to hold Glenn in place while the Governor had grabbed Maggie by the waist. By now, both had tears streaming down their faces and their hearts were beating wildly.

               “Please! Stop! He’s innocent!” Glenn yelled again. He was winded when Merle slammed a fist into his gut but he wouldn’t stop struggling. _He couldn’t._

               _Not Daryl._

 _Please, not Daryl._ Daryl was struggling violently in his chair, terrified of the Walker in front of him. Glenn’s heart broke against at the look of terror etched on Daryl’s bloody face. It would be a look that would forever haunt Glenn.

               “Stop it! Don’t hurt him! Please!” Maggie almost sobbed.

               “You know what I want.” The Governor simply smiled.

               _Daryl? Or the prison?_

               “Please!”

               _Daryl? Or the prison?_

               “Stop!”

               _Daryl?_

               “Stop it, please!”

               _Or the prison?_

               Inside the room, Daryl was screaming.

               “The prison!” Glenn and Maggie both finally shouted. Glenn’s chest was heaving, and his eyes were wide as he starred at Maggie. She had the same shocked look on her pale face, with tears streaming down.

               “The prison! We fixed it up and made it our home. That’s where we’ve been staying at for the past few months. Just a few miles down the road.” Maggie said hoarsely. The Governor and the men with him were silent. Only Maggie’s sobs and Glenn’s heavy breathing could be heard.

               “Please,” Glenn finally begged. “Please, she’s telling the truth.”

               The Governor eventually looked at him, with narrowed eyes, before nodding. “I believe you. Thank you.”

               “Now, get that Walker out of there,” Glenn demanded firmly. He saw the third henchman begin making his way towards the snapping Walker. Daryl was still screaming.

               The Governor only smirked. “Release it.”

               “NO!” Glenn screamed, right as the man released the Walker onto Daryl and slammed the door shut. Glenn could only watch in horror as the hungry Walker scrambled towards Daryl at the table and Daryl screamed again.


	8. My Heart is Broken Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I have not abandoned this fic or forgotten about it! But I am in the beginnings of my senior thesis project, during my final semester of college. Meaning this is a very busy semester for me. However, I have missed this fic and I've received some thoroughly encouraging and awesome comments to continue this fic! Which led me to sit down for a couple of hours and bang this chapter out! I hope you are prepared for some angst because that is all there is for a while. My poor boy.
> 
> I'm hoping to try and write more chapters but I'm researching for my thesis and then I'll be doing a project all semester so time may be against me. I'll try my best though. Also if any readers are self-published authors or authors (fanfic, personal, anything) that are possibly considering self-publishing in the near/far future, and you want to help out with my thesis survey, let me know and I can post a couple of short surveys I am doing for research! I would appreciate any help!
> 
> Thanks and enjoy the angst fest.

               A family was a sacred thing for Rick Grimes.

               He was a family man that valued having a home with his (now dead) wife and his child(ren). He found joy in being a father, a brother, a husband and a son. However, even before the dead started walking and the world went to hell, Rick always knew that family didn’t just end in blood. Sometimes family was found in the strangest of places. In places that no one ever thought to look for but they were still family no matter what.

               Which was how Rick had come to view this small group of survivors. Every single one of them had managed to worm their way into his life and become a part of the niche that Rick considered family. Despite trying to close his heart and keep it locked up because this was the apocalypse and they had already lost _so many._ He knew that it would only hurt more if he got close to anyone, only to have them die on him. However, that couldn’t stop himself from keeping his heart open just a bit. It was enough to let everyone in though.

               Judith and Carl were obvious parts of his family, but the others meant just as much. Carol, Hershel, Beth. They were a part of who Rick Grimes was now, and kept him fighting in this war. Glenn and Maggie were some of his closest people now. Even Michonne had managed to prove her loyalty and worth to the group and now Rick considered her a valuable addition to their _family._

               Then there was Daryl.

               Daryl was the key link to holding everyone together in this family. This rugged, redneck, foul-mouthed nine-year-old somehow managed to get close to every single person in this group and gave each of them a spark to keep fighting. Despite his tough exterior, everyone had learned that Daryl was just a scared little boy, fighting in this cruel world who needed just a bit more love than everyone else. Yet despite his lack of previous love, Daryl had more love in his heart to give to others than anyone could have ever imagined. He’d been the first one to take care of Judith and love her, he’d done his _damned best_ to keep Sophia safe despite being a young kid. He was the friend and younger brother than Carl needed to have and protect. He always let Carol clean fix his hair or let Beth put flowers in his hair. He helped Hershel when his leg was aching particularly bad. He and Maggie were getting along better than ever, and he was always there when Glenn needed him.

               And he was the one to save Rick from doing something he may have regretted.

               Everyone knew that Glenn and Daryl were the closest and out of any of them, Glenn was the only one Daryl would consider a “father figure.” Yet, he still managed to give every one of them a piece of his heart, even when he tried to protect it from anyone for as long as he could.

               Rick smiled softly to himself as he thought about the young boy. Daryl and the rest of them had been a group for about nine to ten months now. Rick knew that Carl’s birthday wasn’t for another few months since they were still in the winter season and Carl’s birthday was in June. However, he wondered when Daryl’s birthday was. The boy was bound to be ten-years-old soon and Rick couldn’t help but wonder if he’d like a small celebration.

               Last week on a run with Maggie, Carol had found everything needed to bake a cake. She told Rick that she would save it for a special occasion and Daryl’s birthday sounded special enough. He’d have to talk with Glenn to see if Glenn knew when Daryl’s birthday was or if Daryl would even want this.

               Of course, Carl had overheard Rick’s plans and had been ecstatic. He’d demanded to be a part of the party planning and was adamant about giving his _little brother_ the best birthday ever. It was amusing to Rick and all the adults to see Carl so excited about this surprise birthday party, as they’d caught him telling Judith all about it several times.

               “Daryl’s probably never had a party before,” Carl finally admitted when Rick had joked that maybe they should celebrate Carl’s birthday early too. For a moment, Rick’s heart had cracked with realization and he swallowed painfully. “I’ve heard people talk about him. About how Merle probably hurt him and his dad too, and how Merle was hurting him even at camp. If that was his childhood, I doubt he celebrated his birthday.” Carl shrugged, his mood suddenly somber. “If so, he deserves to have a good time.”

               Rick almost couldn’t speak. Thankfully, he managed to find his voice. He hadn’t thought about what to say or do if Carl had ever learned about Merle’s past. Rick hadn’t been around when Merle and Daryl were together, but he’d seen fading bruises on Daryl’s back at the CDC and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened behind closed doors. As a cop, he could easily see all of the warning signs that Daryl emitted, screaming that he was abused. Yet it baffled him that others didn’t seem very concerned. Except for Glenn.

               Glenn was always concerned.

               “You’re right, son. I bet Daryl would love that,” Rick finally settled on saying. He smiled down at baby Judith in Carl’s arms, laughing when she gurgled as he tickled her chin. “Plus, I’m sure Judith would love to experience her first party.”

               “Yeah!” Carl grinned excitedly. His grip on Judith didn’t falter, despite his excitement and Rick wasn’t worried about Carl dropping her. Other than Daryl, Carl was the one person that Rick trusted to take care of Judith, better than himself.

               “We’ll talk to Glenn when he gets back and start planning something, alright?” Rick ruffled Carl’s hair and earned another grin from Carl. The boy nodded quickly in agreement before being sent off to hand Judith over to Beth for the night.

               Rick eventually found himself wandering towards one of their main guard towers where Michonne was keeping watch. Michonne was another surprise that Rick was starting to be grateful for. Yet again, he had Daryl to thank for that. If Daryl hadn’t insisted on saving her and keeping her in the prison, standing against his family despite his past full of abandonment, their lives would be very different. They would have one less protector in their home, especially with Hershel out of commission.   
               Michonne had slowly become a part of their unique family, after proving herself loyal to them. She had proven her worth by defending the prison when Andrew had let in the Walkers and by keeping constant watch. It turned out that Michonne, while guarded, was easy to talk to. She was caring and funny and had a different approach to each person she was with in order to make them comfortable. Rick smiled to himself, knowing that Michonne had become something of a permeant part of Daryl’s family, and hopefully his family too.

               He noticed her intense gaze starring out at the forest in front of her before she chewed her lip worryingly. Rick couldn’t ignore the pang of unease in his own stomach.

               “Are they still not back yet?” He finally asked. It was a dreaded question that Rick had been steaming over all day. It was a question that he had an answer he hoped for, but deep down he knew that the answer was one he wasn’t wanting to hear.

               Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn had gone on a run _yesterday._ Normally, their runs didn’t take longer than a day. Though Rick knew that resources were getting low, which meant that their runs would most likely be further out and in theory take longer. However, Rick knew he was being hopeful with that. His gut was telling him otherwise.

               “No. I’ve been here all day and I haven’t seen or heard them at all,” Michonne admitted quietly. She never turned her eyes away from the forest and Rick heaved a sigh. Slowly, he stepped up beside Michonne, gazing out at the dark forest. He frowned at seeing the straggling Walkers wandering aimlessly around the prison fence.

               “I’m worried. They’ve been gone too long,” Rick said quietly. A soft breeze blew past the two, chilling them. “But I don’t feel like they’re dead.”

               “That isn’t what I’m worried about,” Michonne said, finally turning to look directly at Rick. Rick was stunned to see the worry unveiled in her eyes, though he managed to hide his surprise. “Surely you know that it’s not just Walkers we have to worry about out there.”

               “Yeah, we know.” Rick sighed. The two of them were quiet for a few more minutes until Rick spoke again. “Was that how you got hurt?”

               Michonne watched Rick closely as if she were observing him and waiting for him to do something. She didn’t know what she needed to look for, but Rick could tell that she was suspicious, so he relaxed his posture.

               “Yeah. I got shot by a group of survivors.” Michonne finally said and Rick frowned.

               “Are they near us? Should we be worried?” He was a bit concerned about not knowing of these survivors until now, but he wasn’t about to push the matters when he was already stressed.

               “Maybe,” Michonne said, turning back to the forest. “Their sanctuary is called Woodberry. It’s about ten or so miles West of here. Probably about a hundred people live there.”

               Rick’s stomach churned. “So why did they shoot you?”

               “They didn’t like how I thought,” Michonne looked over at Rick with cold, calculating eyes full of hatred. Rick blinked. “They’re dangerous and you should not take their presence lightly, should they ever come here. I’m worried that Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn may have accidentally run into them.”

               “And you didn’t think to bring this up to anyone before we went on runs?” Rick said, breathing deeply through his nose.

               “They normally don’t travel this far west. Their territory leads more north.” Michonne said without hesitation. “Besides, I didn’t want to worry Carl or the others, especially Daryl. He already worries enough for a young boy.”

               Rick swallowed thickly, fists clenched at his side. “Tomorrow morning, you and I head out to this sanctuary. If our people are missing, then they’ll be there.”

 

* * *

 

               Daryl had never been more scared in his life than in this moment.

               Not even when Pa had broken a rib and Daryl forgot how to breathe for the longest time. Not when Merle brought over a bunch of friends and locked Daryl in the trunk of their car. Not even when Mama had left Daryl alone in the woods behind their trailer for two days.

               Daryl was so scared.

               He was going to _die._

               “Stop it! Stop! STOP!” Dimly, Daryl knew that someone was screaming from somewhere outside of the room he was in, but he could barely hear it over the blood roaring in his ears. _He recognized that voice, but it didn’t matter. He was going to die._

               All Daryl could see where cloudy, milky eyes hungrily bulging out at him. Palor skin that was rotting away to the point where Daryl could see bone. Blood as black as night leaked from all sorts of wounds on its body. But the worse part was its teeth. Poking out of rotting gums and snapping viciously at Daryl. Ready to tear his flesh off his body and sink into his stomach.

               Eating.

               Eating.

               Never stop eating.

               Until Daryl was nothing more than a pile of blood.

               He couldn’t help but scream when the Walker was let loose into his cell. No longer held back by a man and then the door slammed shut. Daryl knew that they had left the Walker in to kill Daryl. He screamed again. _Glenn, Glenn, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, please help me. Please, please, pleasepleaseidon’twannadieplease._

               Daryl jerked against the duct tape tying him down to the chair. He flinched when the Walker stumbled towards him at alarming speeds. He jerked and struggled, trying desperately to break free of his bonds. He kicked his legs wildly and swung them around in hopes to break free.

               Eventually, the chair tipped forward and Daryl found his feet touching the ground. He looked up to see the Walker only a few inches from the table in front of them. Daryl scrambled back as fast as he could _(he could only think about getting away from this monster)_. He felt the back of his chair slamming into the wall and Daryl jerked. However, due to the momentum of trying to get away, the wooden legs of the chair snapped and crumbled against the wall. Soon enough, Daryl was no longer sitting in a chair, but rather standing on the broken pieces of the chair. The armrests were the only things still strapped to Daryl due to the duct tape but he was _free._

Free.

               Free.

               F r e e .

               Quickly, Daryl raced towards the table and the snarling Walker and shoved the table on its side, putting a wall between Daryl and the Walker. The Walker hissed desperately trying to reach its source of food. Daryl grunted at the force of the Walker hitting the table.

               Unfortunately, being only nine, Daryl’s arms were no match for a Walker set on living flesh. He was no match for it, and the Walker easily shoved against the table and push it back with Daryl behind it. Daryl’s eyes widened in panic when he felt himself being pushed back towards the wall. _No, no, no._

               Until he was pushed right up against the wall and the table’s legs slammed into the war. Luckily, none of them broke and the Walker was still stuck behind the table. The table was prevented from moving forward anymore due to the wall, giving Daryl a small wall between him and the Walker. _Glenn, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please help me._ The Walker tried to reach over the table top and grab at Daryl, but as long as Daryl pressed himself flat against the wall, then the Walker couldn’t reach him at all.

               Heart hammering in his chest and body frozen, Daryl’s eyes never left the snarling Walker attempting to kill him.

               He didn’t want to die.

               He wanted to live.

               With Rick and Carl and Judith.

               With Carol and Hershel and Beth.

               With Maggie and Michonne.

               With Glenn.

 _I don’t wanna die._            

               Daryl bit back a sob as he heard the wood of the table beginning to splinter.

               Just as he thought that he was about to be grabbed by the Walker and die, he heard a door being slammed open. Daryl curled in on himself out of fear that it was another Walker and didn’t see that it was Glenn, shirtless and racing into the room.

               He didn’t see Glenn’s infuriated face, dead set on _death_ as he ran towards the Walker. He didn’t see how bloodthirsty for revenge Glenn was as he slammed a piece of wood through the entire face of the Walker. He missed Glenn repeatedly stabbing the Walker’s face over and over, before beating it down to the ground. He didn’t see Glenn mercilessly smashing the stake of wood into the Walker until its head was nothing more than a pile of brain matter and rotting flesh. Even then Glenn didn’t stop, and he continued to beat the Walker on every inch of its mutilated body.

               Only when Daryl whimpered did Glenn finally stop. Covered in Walker blood, Glenn stood up before slowly making his way towards Daryl. Carefully he pulled the table away from the wall and his heart broke into a hundred pieces yet again. _Merle would pay for this._ Glenn’s eyes blazed with fury at the cowardly older brother, before he knelt at Daryl’s shaking side.

               Daryl’s entire face was covered by his arms still taped to the armrests of his chair. Glenn swallowed thickly upon seeing Daryl trembling violently. _How could this happen to Daryl? Why him of all people?_

               “Oh Daryl,” Glenn whispered softly and leaned over towards the shaking boy. Immediately, Daryl’s head snapped up at Glenn’s voice. He looked straight at Glenn, but for a worryingly long minute, it was as if Daryl couldn’t see Glenn and was instead seeing right through him. Only after a few seconds, and Glenn brushing back his bloody hair did Daryl finally react.      

               “Glenn?” He whispered brokenly. Glenn felt tears burn behind his eyes and he swallowed back a sob. Right now, Daryl needed Glenn to be strong.

               “Yeah kiddo, it’s Glenn. I’m right here and now you’re safe,” Glenn said quietly, moving over so he could wrap his arms around Daryl. Daryl stared at Glenn for a few more minutes without blinking before his eyes welled up with tears.

               Then he leaned over to the side and threw up.

               Glenn was quick to soothingly rub Daryl’s back at the boy threw up several more times. He continued like this only Daryl could only dry heave, leaving Glenn to try and calm him down. After all this, Maggie came running into the room wearing Glenn’s shirt. Immediately, she too was at Daryl’s side and brushing back his hair. She quietly whispered words of soothing comfort, to which Glenn was eternally gratefully for. She and Daryl may have started off with a rocky relationship, but it was obvious now more than ever that Maggie cared about Daryl. As in really cared.

               Glenn looked up at the sounds of more footsteps entering the room.  He put himself between Daryl and Maggie and the ones who entered the room. The Governor _(the fucking bastard)_ was smiling was shaking his head and looking at the dead Walker. Jameson was smirking _(the other bastard)_ and Merle was stoically starring at the table where Daryl and Maggie were behind _(the dead bastard)._ Glenn almost wanted to start screaming at Merle then and there but then he realized that Daryl had no idea Merle was still alive.

               This would break Daryl’s heart.

               “What an incredible display here. I must say, you have better skills at killing Walkers than some of my own men.” The Governor smirked at Glenn, before eyeing Merle. Merle scowled at the attention and finally looked away. _That’s right you coward, look away from the torment you put your brother through._ “You’ve made quite a mess here though, but for now I’ll let you live.”

               With that, the Governor headed out of the cell with Jameson close behind. Merle lingered back a few seconds, snarling when Glenn directed a dark glare his direction. However, after less than a minute he turned and followed the others out of the room. From that moment on, Glenn vowed that he would be the one to kill Merle Dixon.

               “We’ve got work today but we won’t forget about you. Have some time alone for now.” The Governor waved over his shoulder right before Merle slammed the door shut, locking them inside the cell. Glenn snarled, clenching his fists tightly before taking a deep breath.

               He could hear that Daryl’s breaths were still uneven and heavy, but he was no longer dry heaving. For now, Glenn would put his entire attention and focus on Daryl and he would forget about his vow for revenge. _Daryl needed him most._

               Glenn knelt back down at Daryl’s side, noticing that he was now leaning heavily against Maggie, who had both arms wrapped around him. He was still shivering violently, and his face was far paler than usual. His normal sun-kissed skin looked ashen under the small light in the room. His hair was caked with blood and sweat and clung to his forehead.

               “You’re okay. You’re okay.” Maggie whispered softly, rubbing a hand up and down his back.

               “Glenn? Maggie?” Daryl asked, and Glenn wanted to cry at the confusion in Daryl’s voice. He was so young – _so very young._

               “Yeah. It’s us, we’re here and we’re all safe now.” Glenn replied quietly. He brushed the bangs off of Daryl’s face, noting the flushed color to Daryl’s cheek. As quietly as he could, Glenn searched all over Daryl for any signs of bite wounds or wounds that could kill Daryl. When he couldn’t find any, he breathed a sigh of relief. _Daryl needed to get out of here. We need to get out of here._

“Good. Good.” Daryl murmured exhaustedly. He mumbled a few other incoherent words that sounded like apologizes to Glenn, but Glenn quietly shushed him.

               “It’s okay. We’re together again.” Glenn continued softly. He felt Daryl shift out of Maggie’s arm, though she still kept rubbing his back, before leaning heavily on Glenn. Without hesitation, Glenn wrapped his arms around Daryl and he could feel the heat radiating from Daryl’s forehead. He swallowed down the immediate panic in his throat and kept a firm but soothing grip around Daryl. He glanced over Daryl and his eyes met Maggie’s. They both realized the same thought.

               _They needed to get out of here._

               To Glenn and Maggie, it felt like they had been trapped in the cell for hours. The smell of the decaying Walker was already becoming overwhelming. The blood caked on all of them had dried and become hard. To Daryl, though, it had felt like they’d been trapped for days. Time was blurring in Daryl’s mind every now and again. Sometimes, he would be fine and sit in silence with Daryl and Maggie feeling the minutes tick by. Other times, Daryl could barely form a coherent thought and he couldn’t remember time passing by.

               None of them knew how long they were trapped until Merle and Jameson stepped into their room.

               Maggie and Glenn were on their feet before the two had stepped two feet into the room, both standing protectively in front of Daryl’s vulnerable form. Jameson merely chuckled at their antics while Merle’s expression never changed. His eyes darted towards the fallen table as if he could see Daryl behind it. Seeing Merle’s disgusting face brought back all of the anger and hatred that Glenn had felt earlier.

               Merle didn’t deserve Daryl.

               Merle deserved to die, like the coward he was.

               Glenn refrained from attacking Merle or say anything, and he knew that Maggie was doing the same, because that would only lead to possible death or worse, something happening to Daryl. Right now, Daryl was their concern. Not revenge.

               “Well, I see you three have had some time to stew in your thoughts. Hopefully, now you’re ready to cooperate with us.” Jameson sneered, and Glenn swallowed back a remark.

               “What’s there to discuss? We already told you everything.” Glenn snarled. Beside him, Maggie nodded. She was a bit confused on why Glenn’s hatred towards the man missing an arm, but she knew that somehow, he had every reason to hate this man. Even if it was simply because they had captured and tortured them.

               “Eh, the Governor’s not quite done with you three yet. He’s got a show for you, and we’re here to bring you to him.” Jameson continued, still ginning. He was already getting on Glenn and Maggie’s nerves and it had only been a few minutes.

               Behind the table, Daryl was holding his breath. He recognized the voice of the man who had been the one to take him and his _family_ prisoner. A thin sheet of raw fear course through his veins, turning his blood to ice. He wouldn’t give these men the satisfaction of hearing him cry though, Daryl was damn sure of it. Even if it meant biting his tongue until it bled to keep from making a single sound. His hands clenched into fists at on top of his knees.

               “Let’s get a move on. We wouldn’t want to keep the Governor waiting.” Jameson said, already moving towards Maggie. Glenn’s hand shot out with a snarl and Jameson laughed. “Easy tiger, I’m just making sure you don’t put up a fight. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to this pretty lady.”

               “Fuck you.” Maggie spat and Glenn smiled.

               Jameson growled at Maggie’s apparently inappropriate response and grabbed her by the arm. Maggie hissed, struggling uselessly against him before Jameson began dragging her out the door.

               “Merle, grab the boy and him.” Jameson nodded to Glenn. For a second Merle didn’t move until eventually, he grabbed Glenn by the arm, threatening with the knife on his other arm. Glenn struggled against Merle, determined to make this as difficult as possible for Merle.

               “You coward. You goddamn coward.” Glenn couldn’t help but whisper in Merle’s ear. He felt Merle’s fingers dig painfully into his arm, and the knife scraped along his jaw.

               “Don’t kill him, Merle. Just get the boy and let’s go.” Jameson yelled from outside the room. Merle gripped Glenn tighter but slowly moved towards the table. Glenn could hear his heartbeat getting louder and louder within his ribcage, the closer that he and Merle got to Daryl. He had no idea how Daryl would react to seeing Merle. He was already so sick and Glenn could only imagine how the kid would feel after seeing his long-lost brother, who was believed to be dead, after so long.

               Eventually, Merle and Glenn stopped before the table and Glenn’s heart cracked.

               Daryl was staring over the table at Glenn and Merle, with eyes so wide that Glenn could see the red veins in the whites of his eyes. He looked paler than Glenn had ever seen with a sheen layer of sweat all over his face. If Glenn looked closely, he could see that the trembling had returned.

               _Oh, Daryl._

               “M-Merle?” Daryl finally croaked causing both Glenn and Merle to wince. Glenn spared a glance at Merle, feeling unease at the hurt look that Merle wore. _How dare he._ He clenched his jaw tightly when Merle spared an angry glare at Merle, without backing down. He would no longer be afraid of Merle and he would never let Merle touch Daryl again.

               “Do you see what _you’ve_ done to your brother?” Glenn whispered lowly so that only Merle could hear him. Daryl was still staring at Merle with disbelief and horror. Merle looked at Glenn as if he wanted nothing more than to gut Glenn in that moment, but Glenn refused to be afraid. Not after all Merle had done to him, Maggie, and most of all not after all he’d done to Daryl.

               “You little –”

               “Merle?” Daryl’s hands were trembling as he started reaching out towards Merle and Glenn could feel his heart cracking even further. _After everything Merle had done, Daryl still loved him._ Sometimes he hated how big Daryl’s heart was.

               “Shut up.” Merle finally hissed and snatched Daryl, by sticking his knife through Daryl’s shirt. Without any gentleness, Merle roughly pulled his brother out from behind the table. Daryl stumbled weakly, still in shock and Glenn had to hold him in order to keep him upright. “Shut up. Don’t you say a word. You don’t know me – none of you.”

               And in that moment, Glenn despised Merle more than he ever did. Because he was the reason for the heartbroken expression on Daryl’s face.

               Merle shoved Daryl away from him and Glenn quickly grabbed him, shielding him from Merle. He tried to ignore the look on Daryl’s face and focused on walking with Daryl to keep them out of trouble. Behind them, Merle kept his knife trained on both of them so Glenn quickly followed after Jameson and Maggie.

               “Problem?” Jameson addressed Merle with a grin. Merle shook his head quickly, eyes never leaving Daryl. Luckily, Jameson allowed Maggie freedom and she stood next to Daryl, helping him walk on. She looked over her shoulder back at Merle before turning to Glenn.

               “Brother?” She simply whispered, and Glenn nodded solemnly. Her eyes instantly hardened and a more protective grip fell over her as she held onto Daryl.

               “What you two whispering about?” Jameson asked as he leads them down a hall.

               “Just making sure she’s okay,” Glenn muttered darkly. Daryl flinched when Jameson barked out a laugh.

               “These three are really funny, aren’t they Merle?” He asked. Glenn’s jaw clenched tightly, and Daryl’s trembling increased.

               “Yeah.” Merle finally said.

               “Too bad, the kid looks like he won’t last too much longer. Won’t be a very good show.”

               Merle swallowed. “Yeah, too bad.”

 

* * *

 

               Whatever show Glenn had been expected, he realized that he probably should have expected Walkers to be involved. He should have expected that the Governor would want to kill him, Maggie and Daryl in the worst way possible, by sending them loose in a ring with Walkers in every corner. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised, or even why he had hoped that a shred of humanity still lied within this group of insane survivors. All of whom were cheering for the: “Traitors justified death.”

               He wasn’t surprised to see Merle looking away from the fight.

               Maggie and Glenn were back to back with Daryl tucked in between both of them. There were four Walkers ready to surround them and Glenn was sure that the Governor had several more waiting on hand.

               And for a moment, Glenn almost thought they were going to die. Which was exactly what he didn’t want.

               That’s when the first explosion happened. Followed by another. Then followed by a cloud of smoke.

               Glenn pulled Daryl as close to him as possible and pulled Maggie against him as they fought against the smoke. He coughed upon hearing the sounds of gunshots followed by screaming. Then the townspeople were running all over the place and more guns were firing.

               “This way!” Daryl finally shouted, grabbing Maggie and Glenn’s hands. Glenn allowed himself to be dragged by the kid through the smoke, as the gunshots grew louder and louder. However, he noticed that the sounds of screams and yelling were getting quieter, meaning that they must be getting further away.

               The three of them maneuvered through the smoke as quickly as they could, before three figures hiding behind old cars came into sight.

               “Rick!” Daryl shouted, letting go of Glenn’s hands and throwing himself in the direction of their leader. Glenn breathed a heavy sigh of relief, shaking his head when Daryl and Rick hugged. He knew that Daryl was slowly growing to accept hugs and personal contact. He was a bit worried about Daryl’s psyche after this, but he knew Daryl needed to hug people.

               Rick smiled warmly upon receiving a hug from Daryl, and he felt as if he could breathe again when he saw Maggie and Glenn close behind. _They were all alive._

               “Hey kiddo,” Rick said quietly. He didn’t ignore the blood on Daryl’s face, or the bruises along Glenn’s shirtless form, but he decided not to say anything right now after the haunting look from Glenn. “Are you ready to come home with Carl, Michonne and I?”

               Daryl’s eyes were still rather dull but upon seeing Rick and mentioning the others, his eyes began to light up. “Michonne and Carl came?”         

               “Of course. We couldn’t let these bastards keep us. You are a part of our family. All three of you.” Rick laughed when Daryl ducked under the warmth of Rick’s words. They remained liked that for a few more seconds before Rick’s face hardened.

               “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Rick motioned over his shoulder to where Glenn could see Carl and Michonne hiding and firing at the town. Glenn quickly nodded, taking Daryl’s hand once more and running in their direction. He quickly accepted a gun from Michonne, who briefly smiled at him and Daryl, and they were running. Occasionally they would all stop to shoot at anyone following them, before taking off towards the woods.

               Where they disappeared off into the night.

               Fitting all six of them into the truck had been a bit tricky, but Michonne and Carl had offered to ride in the trunk and keep watch. Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl squeezed into the front of the truck with Daryl awkwardly over Maggie and Glenn’s lap. He was too exhausted to argue and feel like a baby and simply leaned into Glenn tiredly.

               The others sat in silence for a majority of the ride.

               “How’s he doing?” Rick finally asked when they were many miles away from Woodberry. He was hesitant to ask about their ordeal, but he knew that they needed to know. If not only to help them recover but to be prepared for what would happen next.

               Glenn opened his mouth to speak but found that he had no words. It was as if the whole ordeal of being kidnapped, tortured, watching Daryl almost be eaten by a Walker and fighting to stay alive, had finally caught up to Glenn. After realizing the _horrors_ that they had endured – that Daryl had endured – Glenn didn’t know what to say.

               He didn’t know.

               Thankfully, Maggie took over. “It was bad Rick. Real bad.” She didn’t elaborate but Rick could feel his heart twinge with pain at her words. He could see it on their faces alone that it was bad.

               “Merle…” Daryl mumbled quietly, and Rick frowned in confusion. He didn’t miss the way that Maggie and Glenn both tensed at the name. Rick had very briefly met Merle Dixon and in that time he had grown a distinct dislike towards the man. Glenn had known Merle the best of out all of them, and Rick would take his word about Merle over anyone else’s.

               Just as he was about to ask what was happening, he heard Michonne and Carl shouting from outside. Then in the next second, an older SUV was barreling through the trees in front of them. Rick slammed his foot on the back, as Glenn held on tightly to Daryl, while Michonne and Carl started firing their guns. Their bullets whizzed through the windshield of the car as it swerved and crashed into a tree in front of them.

               _Had they found us already?_

               Rick was prepared for many things and had his hand already on his pistol, as he scrambled out of the car. He was, however, not prepared for Merle Dixon to get out of the driver’s car wielding a knife for a hand and a gun in his other hand. _Merle was alive?!_

               “You son of a bitch!” Glenn snarled, setting Daryl down in the truck. He quickly snatched the nearest gun beside him and turned to aim and fire. A bullet tore through the forest, narrowly missing Merle by centimeters as it exploded in a tree behind him.

               Merle flinched before firing his own gun, causing Rick and everyone else to duck for cover. For a few more minutes, a shower of bullets and gunfire followed until Rick caught sight of someone stumbling away from them.

               A small redneck boy.

               “Stop! Stop! STOP!” Rick shouted quickly, waving wildly. He saw the others stare at him in confusion but everyone stopped shooting (even Merle) and that was when everyone else saw Daryl. Glenn’s eyes widened while Michonne and Carl jumped from the trunk to stand beside Rick.

               _“Daryl!”_ Glenn shouted. Merle looked curious as to why Daryl was heading his way before his facial expression morphed into a smirk.

               “Hey there baby brother, did you miss me?” He said as if he wasn’t just responsible for torturing Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn. As if he wasn’t responsible for hurting his brother. As if he wasn’t responsible for a Walker almost killing his little brother.

               Glenn started after Daryl, dropping his gun out of panic for Daryl’s safety. Merle saw Glenn coming and he raised his own gun, ignoring how Rick, Michonne, and Carl had all also raised their guns.

               “Not a step closer _chink._ Otherwise, I’ll blow your brains out.” Merle threatened smugly. Glenn faltered in his steps, watching as Daryl stumbled towards Merle. He couldn’t just let Daryl be swept away by Merle Dixon, not even if it meant his life. Though, Glenn knew Daryl would be devastated if Merle killed him. _Would he be devastated if I killed Merle?_

               Finally, Daryl stopped as if realizing what he was doing. He blinked in realization after hearing Merle’s threat, before looking over his shoulder to see Glenn a few feet behind him. Quickly he turned back to his brother, only feeling a moment of anger.

               “Don’t you dare hurt him!” Daryl snarled, squaring up against his brother for the first time ever in his life. Merle didn’t know what to say, as Daryl had usually followed him around without hesitation. He never yelled at Merle.

               “You watch your language!” Merle snarled, relishing when Daryl’s shoulders hunched in on himself. “Look at what he’s done to you. He’s made you soft and weak. Pathetic.” Merle spat the last word, earning a flinch from Daryl. All the while, Glenn was burning with fury.

               Daryl swallowed thickly, feeling his moment of anger pass. He didn’t know what had come over him to stand up to Merle in that way. All he could think about was Merle shooting Glenn _(you know he’s capable of it, you know he can kill)_ and that made Daryl furious. Daryl was also confused. He was confused on how Merle was alive and why he was with the people that had kidnapped him. He was confused on why Merle didn’t help them _(why wouldn’t he help his brother)._

               “Merle, please don’t shoot him,” Daryl finally said. He saw that Merle didn’t take his eyes off Glenn and for a second Daryl’s heart thudded wildly in his chest. Merle was going to hurt his family – but wasn’t Merle family also? Daryl didn’t know. Merle didn’t make him feel happy like Glenn, Maggie, Rick and the others did. Merle never made him feel happy, even after finding him alive.

               “Please Merle, please don’ shoot ‘em.” Daryl pleaded again.

               “You really are a pathetic baby brother,” Merle said sharply. He finally turned his attention to Daryl before heading closer to the boy. He did not miss the way that Daryl jumped back, nor the way that Glen began storming at him. “What did I say, Chinaman? Not a step closer?” Merle fired off his gun, but the aim was sloppy and instead missed Glenn by several inches.

               “No! Stop!” Daryl suddenly threw himself at Merle’s gun upon hearing it fire. His heart leaped out of his chest from fear that Merle had actually shot Glenn. He ignored everyone else shouting at him as he clung tightly to the gun. Merle grunted in surprise and anger at his brother’s action as he tried to shove him off the gun.

               _I have to protect my family._

_I have to protect my family._

_I have to protect my family._

               Daryl clung to the gun as tightly as he could, before a sharp pain burst across his cheek. He cried out and was thrown to the ground. Daryl’s eyes stung but he refused to cry as he clutched at the small wound on his cheek. He looked up to see Merle snarling down at him, blood dripping from his knife, before looking towards where Glenn was.

               To his relief, Glenn was alive, unhurt and starring at Daryl in horror.

               “The fuck ya think yer doin’ boy?” Merle hissed darkly, eyes trained on Daryl. He was now between Daryl and the rest of the group. Rick and Michonne were desperate for Merle to move because unless they got a perfect headshot, there was the fear that they would hit Daryl if they shot Merle.

               “You really can’t do anythin’ right, huh, Darlene? I leave you alone with them fuckers and you come back ta me a pansy.” Merle spit, causing Daryl to flinch again.

               “Merle, I’m sorry. Please don’ hurt him.” Daryl pleaded. He knew that apologizing was weak and _not_ the Dixon way, but at this point, he was desperate to keep his family alive. Daryl had always known that Merle wasn’t a good guy, he wasn’t oblivious. But that didn’t change the fact that Merle was Daryl’s brother – his first family – and he was always taught to protect family. To not betray family.

               “I can’t believe you,” Merle said. “After all I did for ya, this is the greetin’ I get. Aren’t ya happy to see yer big brother?!” Quickly, Merle dragged Daryl up by his collar and ignored the clicking of guns and shouting. Glenn hadn’t moved an inch from where he was standing out of fear that Merle would do something to their Daryl.

               “Yes,” Daryl said quickly, only to be hit by the blunt end of Merle’s handmade weapon arm. He curled up when Merle raised his hand again. Merle looked ready to strike Daryl again only to freeze. He knew after running away that he couldn’t go back to Woodberry. It would only be a matter of time before they realized that Merle had known the prisoners all along. He wasn’t safe back there and he highly doubts that these people would welcome him warmly. He couldn’t make it on his own either.

Although, if he had incentive…

               “It’s okay little brother. I know ya do,” Merle said sweetly, finally backing off. He was still in between Daryl and the others. “I forgive ya. But listen, I have a proposition for ya and them.” He nodded his head over at the others.

               Daryl listened with fearful eyes, still holding his cheek. He didn’t flinch again when Merle knelt down at his side.

               “Now, how ‘bout you convince those idiots to let me come back with ‘em and we can live together again. Jus’ you and me.” Merle whispered so only Daryl could hear. He knew that Glenn was growing upset at Merle being so close to Daryl, and Merle took this moment to infuriate the man even more.

               Daryl swallowed fearfully.

               “Come back? With us?” Daryl whispered.

               “Yeah. You convince them to let me come back and we never have to see Woodberry again. An’ we can live together as brothers once more. Alright?” Merle said sweetly. He was frustrated with how long it was taking Daryl to answer. He wondered whatever happened to the kid that answered without hesitation and followed Merle everywhere.

               Daryl’s eyes peaked over to see the others.

               “They won’t let you,” Daryl finally licked his lips. Merle frowned darkly.

               “And why not?”

               “They don’t like you,” Daryl whispered. _I don’t want you._ He knew that Merle was going to be upset with him if he admitted the truth. But deep down, no matter if Merle was his brother, Daryl knew that Merle was dangerous. Merle wasn’t to be trusted. He might not alert the Governor of their home, but he would kill the others if Daryl brought him back to the prison. Daryl knew first hand what Merle was capable of and it terrified him. “That’s their home an’ they don’ trust you.”

               Merle resisted the urge to hit Daryl once more. “Then convince them.”

               “I – I can’t. They won’t believe me.” Daryl said nervously. “They’ll kill you.” Merle’s lips twisted into a snarl and he spun around, snagging Daryl by the shirt.

               “Hey! Mr. Chinaman, I got a proposition for you,” Merle waved Daryl around. Glenn’s entire face looked like a storm cloud and Merle could see that three of the others had guns pointed at him. _They wouldn’t risk Daryl._

               “Let him go, Merle.” Glenn snarled darkly. He took a step forward and Daryl heard Merle’s gun clicked. Immediately, his heart began racing and he shook his head at Glenn.

               “I don’t take orders from you,” Merle said when Glenn finally stopped. “Now, either you listen to what I have to say or I shoot you _and_ little Daryl here.”

               A deafening silence fell over the group.

               Daryl starred at Merle in disbelief. _Would he shoot me?_ Daryl couldn’t believe that his own brother was willing to shoot him. It broke his little heart into tiny, tiny pieces and a lump formed in his throat.

               The others were starring at Merle with equal looks of horror and disbelief.

               “You would shoot your own brother?” Glenn choked.

               “Won’t have to if ya listen.” Merle simply shrugged and the pain in Daryl’s chest intensified.

               “What do you want, Merle?” Rick finally demanded. He wouldn’t admit that his hands were shaking after Merle’s threat but now more than ever, his finger itched on the gun.

               “I have seen the flaws of Woodberry, and seein’ as I can no longer return. I was hopin’ you fellas would be gracious enough to let me into yer prison so I and my baby brother can be together again.” Merle said.

               “You’d think we’d let you in after threatening to shoot your own brother?” Maggie snarled, and Merle almost laughed at her bravery.

               “Eh, we all gotta survive.”

               “You’re insane if you think I’m going to let you anywhere near Daryl,” Glenn growled. Merle merely laughed and shook Daryl by the collar.

               “Ya done a fantastic job of that so far, chink.” Merle enjoyed the way that Glenn angrily hissed at him and how his entire face was red.

               “Let me put it this way,” Merle said before pointing his gun directly at Daryl’s head. Daryl’s broken heart sunk to the floor and his entire body was filled with terror as he stared down the barrel of the gun. “Either I come with you, or he dies.”

               “You goddamn fucker!”

               “How could you do that?!”

               “How dare you!”

               “NO!”

               “Clock’s ticking,” Merle said. Daryl glanced over to where the others were yelling and arguing, and he could hear them trying to come to an agreement. _Please don’t say yes, please don’t say yes._ Daryl would rather die than let Merle tear apart his home and his family. Quietly, he saw Rick taking a breath before aiming.

               Merle saw this too.

               “You gonna shoot me, officer?”

               “I got ten times a better shot than you. I won’t miss.” Rick said coldly.

               “Probably not. But I’ll shoot Daryl too and now we’ll both be dead.” Merle insisted. Daryl could see that Rick wasn’t lowering his gun and he mentally urged Rick. _Shoot him, shoot him. Please don’t say yes._

               He could see that the others were faltering.

               Even Glenn.

               _No, no._

_No._

“We’ll leave!” Daryl finally shouted just as he saw Rick lowering his gun. He couldn’t let Merle into his home. He couldn’t let them give Merle entrance. He would kill them, even Judith. Without hesitation. Daryl couldn’t let him.

               “Daryl,” Glenn whispered.

               “We’ll leave! Merle and me. And we won’t ever come back to the prison.” Daryl finally shouted. Even Merle was frozen by Daryl’s response. He starred at Daryl in confusion. “I promise we’ll leave, both of us and I won’t leave.” By now, Daryl was looking at Merle and tried to look as promising as he could.

               “Daryl, no,” Glenn said again.

               “We can’t leave you with him!” Carl cried.

               “Fine,” Merle said, and chaos erupted.

               “I’m not letting him take you!” Glenn snarled, storming over towards them. He ignored Merle pointing his gun at him.

               “Glenn please, don’t,” Daryl begged, once Merle had finally let go of him. Merle back away from Glenn but stayed close enough to Daryl that he could grab him if needed. Daryl’s entire body was shaking at the realization of what he’d just done. “I have to – I have to do this. You can’t let him in the prison. Not into our home.”

               “I don’t fucking care. It’s not worth losing you.” Glenn said, voice breaking in the middle. It made Daryl’s broken heart shatter.

               “I can’t let him into our home. It’s not safe.” Daryl whispered tiredly.

               “Daryl there is another way. We can keep an eye on him. We outnumber him and can kill him if anything happens.” Glenn pleaded desperately.

               “No. You can’t.” Daryl finally said. He slowly stood up and took a deep breath, before looking deep into Glenn’s eyes. _I’m going to miss him, I really am._ He wondered if hurting this much meant that he cared for Glenn and if Glenn cared this much too. “I know him. I know what he can do. I don’t want anyone to die anymore. You’re not safe and I can’t lose you too. I can’t.” Daryl choked, trying to force back tears.

               He saw the tears falling from Glenn’s eyes and he could see everyone else but Merle in similar states. _I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry._ He never wanted to hurt anyone, but this was the only way.

               “I’m sorry Glenn. I’m so sorry.” Daryl’s shoulders shook but he refused to allow the tears to fall.

               “Daryl, let’s go!” Merle shouted, causing everyone else to aim their guns at him. “Shoot me, and he’s _dead.”_

               Glenn wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. He wanted to rip Merle Dixon’s head right off his goddamn body and feed it to the Walkers. He wanted to make Merle Dixon suffer the same pain that he and Daryl had suffered. He wanted to scream and smash until his voice was hoarse and his hands were raw. He didn’t want to let Daryl go.

               Yet, Daryl swallowed past the lump in his throat and walked after his brother. Merle disappeared into the trees beside them and Daryl paused. He turned around to look at his family and a tear fell down his cheeks.

               Glenn starred helpless, while Rick, Michonne, Maggie and Carl all silently willed Daryl to come back.

               “I’m so sorry,” Daryl whispered.

               Then their family watched as Daryl Dixon turned into the forest and disappeared before their eyes.

               The cracks in their hearts splintered until their hearts were shattered into a million pieces.

               _They had failed._


	9. I'm Coming Home, I'm Coming Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I know it's been a while since the last update but my final semester of college is quite hectic and I find myself with less and less time to write! But I've missed my poor Daryl, especially after that angsty cliffhanger! Poor bub needs all the love he can get. This chapter is a bit slowish, but it starts to establish characters and such. Still, I hope you enjoy it and the outcome. The plot is starting to move along! As always, thanks for your comments, kudos, and favorites! They always motivate me to keep writing and put smiles on my face!

_ "We need to go after them.” _

_ “Glenn, stop.” _

_ Glenn was already halfway across the space where Daryl and Merle had been standing just moments before. His entire body froze with ice chilling down his spine when Rick spoke up. Glenn could feel his anger bubbling just beneath a surface of disbelief. _

_ He wasn’t exactly in the best mindset after watching the one person that he had come to care about just like family, walk out of their lives potentially forever. Which was probably why he wasn’t being as level-headed as he normally was. Usually, Glenn was one of the most level-headed and calmest people of their group, but in this situation, all Glenn could think about was using his heart. _

_ “Are you serious?!” Glenn snarled, spinning around on Rick and the others. “Merle is going to kill him. There’s five of us and one of him! We cannot let Daryl get away from us.” Admittedly, Rick looked extremely distraught at his answer, and he did look like he wanted nothing more than to go after Daryl himself. His hands were still shaking the gun in his hands, but he was no longer staring at the trees where Merle and Daryl had disappeared through. _

_ "Merle’ll kill Daryl if we follow them now.” Rick sighed. _

_ "Then we hunt the bastard down,” Glenn growled lowly. Slowly, Rick made his way towards Glenn, ignoring when Glenn lashed out to strike him. _

_ “I know you’re upset,” Rick murmured softly. “We all are. Daryl meant a lot to every one of us. I know he was especially close to you. However, if we go charging right now, then Daryl could get hurt. You heard him. Merle is dangerous, and I have no doubt of what he is capable of doing.” _

_ Glenn looked torn, showing an expression of such anguish that Rick had to look away for a moment. “We can’t leave him.” Glenn finally pleaded in a whisper. _

_ Rick swallowed past the lump in his throat. _

_ "Glenn, I promise you that we are not leaving him behind. We will get him back.” And there was a fire in Rick’s eyes that made Glenn believe him. _

 

* * *

 

Daryl wanted to go home.

He had always been with Merle, since the day he was born, and Merle was a young twenty-something-year-old. He never imagined what his life would be like with Merle. Even after he was a grown adult, Daryl had always been told that he would remain with Merle and his family – never able to leave. He had always believed that he would never leave the trailer park that had once been his home and that he would live under his pa and Merle until the day that he died. He never considered living life without Merle (though he never considered living in an apocalypse either).

That is until he believed Merle to be dead.

For a bit less than a year, Daryl experienced life without Merle, and it was  _ nice. _ He didn’t have to constantly look over his shoulder or worry if he would be hit for not getting a bigger rabbit to eat. His body didn’t ache and his bruises actually had time to fade for the first time in years.  It took time and so, so much trust  _ (trust that had nearly been broken) _ before Daryl felt good. Maybe even happy, but Daryl didn’t know.

Now, Merle was alive and Daryl had been unsure of what to die.

Merle was alive and he had hurt him.

That wasn’t the issue though. Daryl was used to Merle hurting him. In all honesty, Daryl had been terrified and upset to learn that Merle was alive and that he had been part of the men who captured and tortured him and his  _ family. _ It hurt worse than the time that Merle had held his arm over an open fire for trying to eat food that Merle considered to be his. But he shouldn’t have been surprised. Really.

The issue was that Merle had hurt Glenn and Maggie. Merle had hurt someone other than Daryl and that was when Daryl realized his brother was dangerous. No matter how much he loved his brother. Merle had always been careful to stay away from the other people in their camps, especially when they had joined Shane’s group. Merle never once hurt anyone other than Daryl, despite his aggressive nature. Daryl could count on that everyone else was safe, as long as Daryl was around his brother.

That had been before Daryl had grown to love those people.

Before Daryl didn’t really care about them, but he still was nervous that Merle would ever try to hurt him. Now Daryl was furious that Merle had hurt them. 

They were people that cared for Daryl. People that Daryl might even… _ love. _

He and Merle had been trudging through the forest in silence. They had been walking in silence ever since Daryl had walked away from Glenn and the others. His heart was hurting worse than ever before and more than once Daryl had found his vision blurred with tears. His tears had become so much that he almost couldn’t see sometimes.

One time in particular, Daryl had stumbled over a tree root that he couldn’t see. As he fell to his knees, he felt Merle harshly grab his bicep in a grip that would surely leave a mark.

“Jesus, yer really a sissy aren’t ya? This is what happens when I leave ya with them trash.” Merle snarled and jerked Daryl back onto his feet. Daryl winced at the grip, trying to wipe his tears away quickly before Merle could see them. That would only make Merle angrier. For a brief second, Daryl was infuriated by his brother’s behavior. _ Who was he to call him names when Merle hurt him? When it was Merle that had threatened to kill him. _

“Yer worse than trash!” Daryl snarled, ripping his arm out of Merle’s grip. It had been easy with Merle being so shocked by Daryl’s behavior. Since the meeting in the woods, Daryl had been acting out in a manner that Merle had  _ never _ seen before, and it was unnerving. He didn’t know what that damn Asian guy and those other people had done to his baby brother but Merle didn’t like it one bit.

“How dare you?! You ungrateful brat!” Merle shouted before smacking his hand across Daryl’s face. Daryl’s head jerked back by the force and fresh blood oozed into his mouth, no doubt from a split lip. However, instead of cowering, he clenched his hands into fists and stood as tall as his small form could. Merle blinked in surprise.

“Grateful for what?! Torturing me? Sicking a goddamn  _ Walker _ on me? Hitting me? Treating me like I ain’t even yer brother? Threatening to kill me?!” Daryl ranted heavily. Merle couldn’t help but flinch at Daryl’s statement. In less than a second, though, he had grabbed Daryl by the shirt and hauled him off the feet. Daryl might have more of a mouth on him but he was still significantly smaller than Merle.

Merle would win.

“I could have left you fer dead when the dead started walking just like  _ pa.” _ Merle hissed darkly, causing Daryl’s anger to slowly be replaced by fear. He could remember leaving their father behind. As he was devoured by their neighbor-turned-Walker. Their father was the first person Daryl had seen been killed by a Walker. “But I’m a good brother! I took care of ya! I fed ya. Made sure ya didn’t get yerself eaten! I protected you!”

Daryl swallowed thickly as Merle’s face got extremely close to his own.

“I was a good brother. Say it.” He whispered coldly. Daryl squirmed to get away when Merle’s nails dug into him. _ He did make sure I didn’t get eaten. He could have left me behind. _

“You were gonna kill me.” Daryl whispered instead. Merle’s eyes blazed with something that Daryl had never seen before. After a few seconds, his expression smoothed out into one of guilt and he slowly let go of Daryl and set the boy on the ground. Daryl rubbed his bruised arms and tried to back away without letting Merle know.

“Daryl, I could never do that. Those other people weren’t listenin’ to me. I had to do somethin’ and ya know I could never kill you.” Merle finally said, much to Daryl’s shock. Daryl hadn’t been expecting the answer from his older brother and he was baffled at what to say or do. _ Did he really mean that? _ “Daryl, I know I haven’t been the best of brothers lately, but I swear to ya that I would never kill ya. Ever. It was an empty threat.”

Daryl chewed on his lip, eyeing the still loaded gun on Merle’s hit and then the knife on his arm.

“Then why do ya hurt me?” Daryl couldn’t help but ask. He watched as Merle’s expression darkened and his one hand clenched into a tight fist.

“Who the hell told you that lie?!” Merle snapped and Daryl flinched as he rubbed his bruised arms.

“You listen here. I  _ don’t _ hurt you. I never could,” Merle whispered. “Yer my baby brother. All those times, that you think I’m hurting you, you deserved it.” Daryl’s mouth went dry, eyes darting at Merle’s face. Merle looked exhausted as if this explanation was something that Daryl should already know.

“Ya should know that I only ever do anything to ya if you deserve it. As a consequence, so you learn. Didn’t I always protect you from pa?” Merle asked quietly.

Daryl chewed on his lip again.  _ Actually, _ Merle had left when Daryl was extremely young, only coming by the house occasionally. Which left a young Daryl vulnerable to his father’s violent outbursts and cruel words. The only times that Merle ever came home, he dad  _ did _ stay away but then usually Daryl would get into some trouble that Merle had come up with. Daryl didn’t think Merle would appreciate this.

Instead, he hesitantly nodded.

“Surely ya know that I only punished you if ya deserved it. Sometimes yer a bad kid but I fix that.” Merle continued sweetly, and Daryl’s stomach flipped. _ Pa always said he was bad. Even mama said that. _ He wondered if there was some truth to Merle’s words.

_ But Glenn never thought you were a bad kid. _

“Look, baby bro, I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like this,” Merle sighed before swinging an arm around Daryl’s neck. He could feel the butt of Merle’s gun digging into his hip and the edge of Merle’s knife in his hair. “I don’t mean to, but now that it’s jus’ you an’ me again, you’ll listen and there will be no more trouble. Right?”

Daryl wanted to shake his head.

“Okay,” He whispered quietly.

“And you best forget about that Chink and them other fellas.” Merle threatened and tightened his arm around Daryl’s neck. Daryl struggled weakly against the hold. “Understand?” He warned quietly. Daryl froze, feeling an icy chill go down his spine.

“Okay Merle,” He whispered quietly. “I will.”

 

* * *

 

Glenn wasn’t sleeping. He wasn’t eating much. He was running on fumes at this point. Or fear. It was sad to watch him sometimes, up in the middle of the night muttering to himself and plotting. Even Maggie couldn’t find a way to get through to her lover. Glenn wasn’t really listening to any of them.

All of his focus was on coming up with a plan to bring Daryl home.

Daryl who had left them six days ago.

Maggie starred at Glenn, who was once again headed outside to keep watch for the sixth night in a row, looking tired. He had bags under his eyes and his skin was nearly transparent. His hair was greasy and sticking to his neck and forehead. He didn’t look any better than some of these Walkers around them. It was starting to worry Maggie. She’d never seen Glenn like this, not even when she had refused to talk to him and berated him back on the farm. She was starting to see just how much Daryl meant to Glenn.

Admittedly, Daryl had finally grown on her (not that she was going to admit it) and just when she had hope that she and Daryl could get along, Daryl was gone. It had hurt her. It hurt knowing that Daryl was most likely traumatized by Woodberry and suffering, and yet despite that he had put them before himself by ensuring their safety. Though she had never met Merle, she knew that Daryl had signed  _ death warrant _ by going with Merle.

It made her want to smash Merle’s ugly head into the walls of their home.

“Did he leave again?” Maggie looked through her cell to see Rick coming up. She sighed heavily, knowing that she would also get little to no sleep this night. Again. Slowly, she climbed out of bed and met Rick by the door.

“Yeah. He’s been doing this every night. Michonne  _ just _ took watch.” Maggie whispered.

“She’s going to be pissed.”

“He won’t care. He stares at the forest for  _ hours.” _ Maggie replied tightly. “As if Daryl is going to just pop through those trees and tell us this was all a joke.”

“Daryl didn’t  _ choose _ to go with Merle, no matter if that’s how it looked,” Rick growled warningly. Maggie rolled her eyes and held up a hand.

“I know that. We all know now that Merle is a manipulative bastard and we had a nine-year-old willing to sacrifice his life to keep us safe.” Maggie deadpanned. Rick sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. It had grown significantly since the apocalypse started, meaning it was in desperate need of a haircut. Daryl’s hair had grown significantly too. Maybe it had grown the most, other than Carl.

“I know. I’m sorry. We’re all a bit high-strung without Daryl here.” Rick apologized quietly. Maggie’s eyes softened.

“I know. It’s like there’s a big, empty hole in all of our hearts without him here.” Maggie said. “I can barely imagine what Glenn must be feeling right now.”

“You know, he was the first person to really talk to Daryl,” Rick said suddenly after a moment of silence. Maggie frowned and shook her head.

“Yeah,” Rick smiled to himself. It was a warming sight after so much heartache. “Apparently, Merle and Daryl joined Shane’s group while Glenn was on a run in Atlanta. I was still in a coma. But, Merle was loud and obnoxious. He was vulgar, rude and aggressive so Shane, L-Lori and the rest stayed clear of him which meant they stayed clear of Daryl. No one will admit this, but Glenn will tell you that everyone thought Daryl would be just like Merle. Everyone just assumed he too would be an obnoxious brat, when in reality he was a scared little boy who needed help.”

“You remember all of the scars on his back?” Rick asked. Maggie nodded. Those scars would haunt her nightmares.

“Some of them were from Merle. I have no doubt from what Glenn told me that Merle was abusing that boy at their camp, and yet everyone was so afraid that Daryl was just like his brother that they all turned away from the obvious. It left Daryl aggressive, bitter and suspicious.” Rick continued, and Maggie could feel her heart breaking with every word. “It took Glenn a lot of tries and time to get Daryl to finally talk to him. He even taught Daryl how to write, I heard. Eventually, Glenn was always watching out for Daryl. Yelling at the group when Daryl killed Walkers on his own. Keeping him close while on the run. It was thanks to Glenn that Daryl opened himself up.” Rick starred out one of the prison windows, still smiling at the memory of Daryl.

“And the rest of you? He clearly loved all of you.”

“Eventually, Glenn made us realize that Daryl was just a boy. A little boy who needed some love and a family. Slowly, we got to know him, and it turns out that Daryl is  _ nothing _ like Merle. Sure, for a kid, he’s tough as hell but he cares about people. He was so upset when we thought Carol was dead. He constantly worried about Carl and Beth when they were hurt. Hell, if it wasn’t for him I would still moping down in the lower cells like a dumbass.”

Maggie’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, I learned a few things about Daryl Dixon that day. One: his vocabulary is mighty impressive and two: his heart is bigger than any of us. And he’s so full of love now.” Rick said. He glanced over at Maggie and his smile began to lower into a frown.

“It was then that I knew Daryl would be like a son to me. Just like Carl.” Rick admitted. “Which is why I’m torn for what to do. If I should join Glenn and scavenger these woods until we find Daryl, and shoot Merle dead…”

“Or stay here in the prison.” Maggie finished quietly. Rick numbly nodded.

“The Governor knows about us now. You saw what they were capable of. It’s only a matter of time before he comes knocking on our doors.” Rick rubbed a hand over his face. His exhaustion was seeping through and it made Maggie wish she could do something. Everyone was exhausted lately. “We don’t have a lot who can fight. Your dad can’t. Carol can barely hold a gun. Judith is a baby and Beth is still learning. All I have are you, Glenn – who is severely distraught, might I add – and Michonne. That’s not nearly enough against Woodberry.”

“You don’t want to leave the prison unsheltered.” Maggie realized, and Rick nodded sadly.

“No. We can’t lose any more people,” Rick whispered. “And that would mean that I wouldn’t be able to go out and find Daryl. I  _ know _ that soon enough, if I don’t allow it, Glenn is going to search for Daryl on his own.”

Maggie’s eyes widened. “He’s going to leave.”

Rick nodded. “Yes. I don’t know when, but I know he will if we don’t do something. And honestly, part of me is willing to just let him go…”

Maggie’s heart did a strange flip upon hearing that Rick was confirming Glenn’s departure. Glenn was leaving them. He was leaving  _ her. _ It made her want to run up to the watch tower and scream at Glenn for his stupidity.

Before she could even consider that, she and Rick saw Glenn running down the stairs and to them. He was looking far livelier than they had seen him in days. For a brief moment, Glenn looked as if he were alive and well. Maggie’s stomach dropped at the thought that this might be the moment that Glenn leaves them. _ Don’t go. _ However, the words died on her lip upon seeing the dark look in Glenn’s eyes. Immediately, Rick met him halfway.

“Glenn?”

“There are people,” Glenn whispered. “Trying to get into the prison. Through the east fence.”

 

* * *

 

Merle didn’t stop insulting Daryl. Or hitting him. In fact, Merle continued to assault Daryl, but he always reasoned that it was for a reason.

_ You lost our dinner by scaring it away. _

_ You were too slow. _

_ I almost got bit by a Walker saving yer ass. _

_ You were in my way. _

And Daryl was starting to believe it. It felt like he hadn’t seen Glenn and the others for years, and their words were starting to fade. He considered that maybe Merle was right and Glenn had lied. After all, Daryl had been a bad kid for years before meeting Glenn. Maybe Glenn was just lying so Daryl wouldn’t be bad anymore. For the past few days, Daryl had barely spoken a word. Merle did most of the talking (and yelling) with Daryl nodding along.

His eyes never strayed too far from Merle’s gun, something that Merle had noticed with a sick smirk. Daryl’s hands kept itching at his side for the crossbow that was lost somewhere in the town that they had been captured in. He missed his bow.

At least with his bow, Daryl would feel a bit less vulnerable.

Daryl didn’t know where they were headed. Merle didn’t seem to have a plan, but Daryl didn’t comment on that because Merle would just get mad. Besides, it wasn’t like Daryl had a plan either. Daryl wasn’t doing much to contribute anymore.

Then there was the problem where there were a lot more Walkers in the forest than at Woodberry or the prison. Which meant that Daryl and Merle were on the run more often than they were not. With Merle being the only one wielding any sort of a weapon (since he refused to let Daryl handle his gun) they were sorely outnumbered a majority of the time. It was getting frustrating to Merle and nerve-wracking to Daryl.

“We can’t keep doing this,” Merle snarled as he and Daryl narrowly avoided a pack of six Walkers. _ I don’t want to be here with you. _ Daryl thought. Rick, Glenn and the others would easily be able to handle six Walkers.

_ Crack. _

Daryl’s spine straightened like a board and Merle ducked near the bushes.  _ Please don’t be a Walker. Please don’t be a Walker. _ Daryl squeezed in next to Merle, scanning the area around them to see what had stepped on a branch. He could hear some moans in the distance from the group of Walkers that they had evaded but nothing came towards them.

Daryl and Merle waited anxiously in silence only for nothing to come out. Daryl swallowed thickly, already having an idea of what that meant. This probably wasn’t a Walker but rather a human. And that was  _ terrifying. _

Merle impatiently looked around to find the source of the noise, when his eyes caught movement. He clamped a hand over Daryl’s mouth and eyed the area, when a group of survivors came out of the trees.

There was a man and a younger woman, who looked vaguely familiar to Merle. They both appeared to be the leader of this small group of survivors. In total there was only about ten people in their group, but they were all  _ armed _ and cautious. The man and woman were scouting the area as they ushered the group through the clearing. It was obvious that none of them had spotted Merle or Daryl yet and Daryl’s breath hitched in his throat.

This group didn’t look dangerous but Daryl had learned to not trust outsiders anymore. Not after Woodberry.

“Would ya look at them guns. And all of those supplies. Damn.” Merle whispered lowly. Daryl scanned all of the backpacks, no doubt filled with supplies and food, on each of the survivors. His eyes were drawn to the guns in the man and woman’s hands and he swallowed heavily. They were way outnumbered.

“We need those packs.” Merle said and Daryl’s eyes widened.

“What?!” He whispered harshly. Merle clamped a hand back over his mouth when the woman paused and looked around the clearing once more. She seemed to stare in their direction for a long time until the man yelled at her to move on.

“Shut it. Do ya want them to find us?” Merle snarled quietly. Quickly, Daryl shook his head. He did not want that. “Then quiet. We need those packs and the guns. We’ll never survive out here like this.”

“Why don’t we join their group.” Daryl asked softly, earning a glare from Merle. “We’re safer in numbers.”

“Fuck that,” Merle snorted. “We just need supplies and you and me baby brother.” Merle continued to scan the clearing where the group was beginning to move out. He saw the direction that they were going to and slowly a plan began plotting in his head. Daryl gulped loudly when Merle directed a smug smirk in his direction. He could feel his heart beginning to sink.

Which was how Daryl ended up tossed a few meters away from the group of survivors. Merle was hiding in the bushes, waiting for an ambush. Daryl knew that he was being used as bait, but it was better him than Merle who actually had a weapon. Right?

Daryl jumped at every little sound around him, fingers itching for a weapon. He scrambled backwards after hearing footsteps headed in his direction. Swallowing Daryl looked over his shoulder to where he couldn’t see Merle, but knew Merle was hiding. Until the man and woman stepped out in front of him.

Instantly, the man drew his gun on Daryl and Daryl’s heart stopped. He crawled back on his hands and feet when the man came closer. All the while, Daryl didn’t hear Merle shooting these people and his heart began racing. _ Why hasn’t he shot them yet? Why isn’t he shooting them? _ Daryl’s breathing was labored when the man was a few inches away from him and he snapped his head up to stare at the group. The man’s brow furrowed and the woman quickly stepped beside him.

“Who are you?” The man gruffly asked.

Daryl swallowed thickly. “I ain’t gotta tell you nothing.”

The man frowned. “You’re in no position to be talking like that kid.” As if to prove his point, the man aimed his gun right at Daryl and Daryl jumped. Still he didn’t see them drop dead with bullet holes in their head. Daryl could still feel Merle’s presence and it baffled him as to why Merle still hadn’t shot these people.

“No.” Daryl said quickly. 

The man heaved a sigh before the woman raised out her arm.

“Dad, enough.” The woman said softly. Then she slowly knelt down in front of Daryl, causing Daryl to try and scramble away. The man simply stood beside Daryl, blocking his exit. Trying to control his expressions and breathing, Daryl looked over at the woman, only to see her watching him curiously. As Daryl looked at her, he realized that she was younger than Michonne, and possibly even younger than Glenn.

“My name is Sasha. This is my father Tyresse. And these are my group of survivors. Can you tell us your name?” The woman said softly. Daryl’s mouth went dry and he slowly shook his head. He could feel Merle’s piercing gaze at the back of his head.

“Then can you tell us why you’re out here?” Sasha asked. Daryl looked from her to Tyresse, only to receive a somber look from Tyresse. He didn’t looked angry but he didn’t look happy either. Then Daryl looked over at the other group of survivors, all watching him. He noticed that many of them looked dirty and thin, no doubt from traveling. For a moment, Daryl was reminded of the time when they hadn’t found the prison. When Lori and Shane were still alive, and they were barely surviving on the roads, weary and hungry. Not knowing if they were all going to survive the next day.

His heart panged at the fact that he was leading them into a trap. He wondered if his family would have survived back then if Woodberry people had found them. Would they have lured them into a trap? Would they have shown mercy? Would they have simply killed them all immediately. These were all questions that burned inside of Daryl as he looked towards these people. People who had no idea of what was about to come.

He was going to kill them.

Daryl’s eyes burned. Sasha took notice of this and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, so like Carol did after she sought him when he was upset.

He was going to kill them. And if he didn’t kill them, then Merle was surely going to kill him. Daryl didn’t want to die. Not when he still had to get home, to Glenn and the others. He didn’t want to die just yet, but he was slowly realizing that he couldn’t let these people die either.

Not like a bunch of cattle about to be slaughtered. No matter if his life was on the line.

Slowly, Daryl leaned forward, breath shaky and hesitant. Sasha took the hint, and leaned closer to him while Tyresse began to kneel down beside them.

_ He couldn’t let them die. _

“You need to run.” Daryl whispered so softly, that the other two had to strain to hear him. Neither of them moved or flinched, but their eyes did dart to one another in slight fear.

“What?” Sasha breathed.

“My brother is going to shoot you. For yer supplies.” Daryl whispered just as softly as before. His throat tightened, and his body began to tremble with terror. _ He didn’t want to die either. _ “He’s hiding behind me. Run.”

Sasha pulled back in shock, starring at Daryl before glancing over at Tyresse. He looked equally horrified and was already on his feet. As he moved to aim his gun once more at the kid, a glint of reflection in the bushes caught his eyes and his jumped back.

He could see the barrel of a gun aimed at them.

Daryl stared at Sasha and Tyresse with wide, fearful eyes. “Run.” He whispered once more and then there was the sound of a gun firing.

Tyresse narrowly avoided the bullet whizzing past his arm, before he was aiming his own gun at the bushes. He shot at the bush several times, hearing a grunt of pain before a new round of bullets fired at him and Sasha.

The rest of their group screamed with fear and surprise before each of them trying to flee the area together. Daryl had dived to the ground after hearing Merle’s first shots fired, with his arms over his head. He could barely see the group racing through the trees, from where he was covering himself. Tyresse and Sasha were slowly edging back towards where their group was fleeing. Sasha was staring at Daryl while Tyresse continued to fire near the bushes where Merle had been.

Slowly the gunfire stopped and Daryl uncovered his head. He remained on the ground, fearing that Merle was seconds away from shooting him in the back.

“Sasha, let’s get out of here.” Tyresse growled, eyes never leaving the bushes. However, Sasha’s focus was still on Daryl with an expression that Daryl found to be particularly odd. It wasn’t angry. He figured she would be furious that Daryl had led them into a trap to kill them. Yet she wasn’t angry; instead she looked saddened.

So similar to the expression that Glenn wore when he first met Daryl. _ Glenn. _

“Go. Now.” Daryl finally muttered tiredly, inching off the ground. He glanced over at the bushes when he noticed that Merle wasn’t coming out of them or making any movements.

“Come with us.” Sasha said quietly. Both Tyresse and Daryl wore looks of shock at Sasha’s sudden statement, though Tyresse looked slightly outraged.

“Sasha! No.” Tyresse growled, only to be cut off by a sharp glare from his daughter. Daryl remained planted where he was staring.

“Come with us. Away from your brother.” Sasha said again and Daryl swallowed nervously. _ If Merle was alive he would hear this, and he would know. _ Slowly, he shook his head.

“We were gonna kill you.” He whispered tightly. Tyresse nodded as if agreeing with Daryl, but Sasha shook her head.

“No. Your brother tried to. You warned us.” Sasha explained. A small flutter of warmth filled Daryl’s chest at the praise.  _ He did. _ “You probably saved our lives.”

“Sasha,” Tyresse warned but his daughter ignored him.

“You didn’t want us to get hurt. So, come with us.” Sasha said once more. “It’s not safe for you to be out here on your own.”

“I can take care of myself.” Daryl mumbled. _ He really wanted to go. _ Sasha smiled softly.

“I bet. But if you come with us, we can take care of each other.” She said. Daryl chewed his lip, recalling familiar words that Glenn had once said to their group. _ We take care of our own. _ He really missed Glenn and the others.

Hesitantly, Daryl inched towards the bushes and Tyresse finally stormed after the group. Yet Sasha still remained even as Daryl reached the bushes. Slowly, he took his eyes off her, ignoring the sickening feeling in his gut from turning his back to a stranger, and peeked into the bushes. He had expected to find Merle dead or wounded after the previous fight. Though, once he looked into the bushes, Daryl was shocked to find them empty. With nothing but a pile of blood left.

His heart raced and Daryl turned to face Sasha.

“I don’t trust you.” He said.

Sasha simply nodded. “I understand.”

“But I wanna get home. And maybe…if yer good people, it can be yer home too…” Daryl whispered before trailing after Sasha. He looked away from her look of curiosity and instead focused on the road before him. 

While he didn’t feel entirely safe anymore, he felt better than he had during all the time with Merle. And all the while, Daryl kept telling himself that he was going home.

_ He was coming home. _

 

* * *

 

Daryl stared at the prison, before swallowing past a lump in his throat. His  _ home _ was less than a hundred feet away from where their group was lying low in the trees. His home that he had missed and Daryl wanted nothing more than to go running through the front gates, straight into Glenn’s arms.

Yet, now he wasn’t so sure.

_ What if they don’t want you back? What if you’re not welcome. _

Dark, intrusive thoughts of self-doubt slowly filled the young boy’s mind as they got closer and closer to the prison. Daryl couldn’t help but recall Merle’s statements of being a burden or a nobody and he wondered if that was how other people felt about him. He wondered if his family felt that way about him. Or if Tyresse and Sasha thought that of him.

His parents had always thought that of him.

Suddenly, Daryl was worried that going back to the prison wasn’t such a good idea. Especially if Daryl was bringing more strangers into his home. _ What if they’re angry I brought strangers? No one was happy that I let Michonne in. _ Daryl didn’t think that Tyresse, Sasha and their people were bad people. They weren’t like the folks of Woodberry, and after spending a few days with them, he was starting to see who they were as people. Sasha and Tyresse weren’t as friendly as Carol, being more closed off than most but Daryl figured that had to do with Walkers and death. The rest of the group was mainly women and children with a few men to keep guard. None of which expressed any hostility towards Daryl or his family, but Daryl knew that sometimes looks could be deceiving.

Yet, there was something about these folks that told Daryl they weren’t dangerous. To his family, that is.

“This is?” Tyresse whispered gruffly. He didn’t openly glare at Daryl anymore, and in fact had eventually started letting Daryl into their conversations, but he wasn’t smiling and patting the boy’s back.

“Yeah. Looks the same to me.” Daryl mumbled softly.

“Pretty good system that you have going here. Keeping Walkers and folks out.” Tyresse couldn’t help but comment, making Daryl smile for a split second. The smile disappeared as Daryl scanned the watchtowers and noticed movement falling back in one tower.

“It looks like its time for a watch change. Follow me. They won’t be able to see us back here during a change.” Daryl muttered, heart pounding in his chest. He was less than fifty feet away from his home, where his family sleep and Daryl was terrified.

“We’re sneaking in?” Sasha frowned.

Daryl peeked past a tree, seeing the backfence area unguarded.

“After meeting Woodberry, I doubt they are going to be friendly to anything that moves in the night.” Daryl mumbled. Tyresse and Sasha were silent at this, both nervous at the mention of Woodberry. Slowly, Daryl crept up to where there was a small hole in the fence, near the ground. He glanced around once more, sighing in defeat before crawling onto his belly. He ignored Sasha’s concern and wiggled himself through the tiny hole in the fence. No one else was able to crawl through this hole and Daryl had found it one day by accident. Despite his age, he was still small enough to just barely fit through it, only suffering minor scraps along his arm.

Once inside the gate, Daryl dusted himself off and looked at the group awaiting him. He almost –  _ almost – _ wanted to run right then and there. And leave the group behind but Daryl’s heart refused to let him do that. _ He couldn’t. _

As quietly as he could he moved over towards where a gated was shut by a lock on the inside, where no one could reach it on the outside. He pulled out a small key from his pocket, thankful that the folks of Woodberry had been too stupid to check his pockets. Then, even quieter than before, Daryl unlocked the gate and began to slowly open it.

It was a painfully long process, because every time the gate squeaked, Daryl would freeze as if expecting the others to catch him. Daryl had to pause often but luckily Tyresse, Sasha and the others remained silent despite the long process.

Only when Daryl finally managed to open the gate enough for one person to fit through at a time, did a bright light shine on him and a door banged open.

“Don’t move!” A voice shouted, followed by several footsteps closing in on Daryl. Daryl stared at Tyresse and the others in shock, seeing their expressions of fear. However, in the next second Daryl’s process the voice that had spoken and his heart stopped.

He recognized that voice.

Daryl  _ knew _ that voice.

Only one person had that voice, and it was a voice that Daryl had come to memorize while away.

“Glenn.” Daryl whispered, confusing Tyresse and his group. There were more footsteps moving behind Daryl. They were creeping closer and Daryl finally spun around.

“Glenn.” Daryl’s lip wobbled when his eyes finally locked onto Glenn, who was less than ten feet away with a gun aimed at him. “Glenn. Glenn. Glenn.”

Once Daryl had turned around and finally spoken, Glenn nearly dropped the gun. For a split second, Glenn thought he was hallucinating from the lack of sleep and he slapped his cheek once. He almost couldn’t believe that after so long, the boy that had wormed his way into Glenn’s heart was  _ back. How was he back?  _ However, when Daryl’s form didn’t disappear from sight, Glenn began to consider that this might be real. The dark hole in his chest was slowly thawing from ice and beating faster than ever. Glenn couldn’t tear his eyes away from Daryl’s skinny  _ (so skinny again) _ and dirty form.

“Glenn. Glenn.” Daryl croaked, reaching out a hand towards Glenn. He was just as hesitant to move towards Glenn as Glenn was to move towards him. But there was something in that raw croak that snapped Glenn awake. This time, Glenn did drop his gun. He made it right in front of Daryl in less than two strides, ignored Daryl’s flinch before scooping Daryl up into a hug.

He held onto Daryl, pulling the boy off the ground, crying at how light Daryl was. Yet, when Daryl wrapped his arms and legs around Glenn before burying his face into Glenn’s neck, Glenn sunk to the floor. Both of them were crying by now and desperately holding onto the other. Daryl was physically trying to shove himself even further into Glenn, as if he could get any closer.

“Daryl, oh Daryl.” Glenn said softly, stroking back Daryl’s hair as the boy cried again. It was unusual to see the boy so emotional, but after all he’d been through these past few days, Glenn figured that Daryl was allowed to cry as long and as hard as he needed.

He glanced up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Glenn noticed that Rick was beside him, mouth open in disbelief and eyes shining with fresh tears. Behind them, there were several gasps and Glenn had no doubt that everyone was realizing who was in Glenn’s arms.

“Daryl, you’ve come back to us,” Rick whispered. Daryl ceased his sobs for a second before looking up to stare at Rick. Daryl’s eyes were still red and shiny from tears, but they widened at the sight of Rick. For a minute neither of them did anything even though they both wanted to.

Glenn could see the hesitance pooled with guilt in Rick’s eyes as he looked at Daryl. Glenn had no doubt that Rick must be feeling the full burden of not being able to keep Daryl safe. He was almost ashamed that he hadn’t realized that turmoil that Rick was facing, where Rick blamed himself for letting Merle get to Daryl. Glenn’s heart sunk with guilt when he realized how he had been acting for a while. Daryl meant a lot to  _ everyone _ here. Including Rick.

Quietly, Glenn unlatched Daryl from his neck and leaned forward.

“Rick’s missed you. We all have. He feels like it was his fault that you went with Merle.” Glenn whispered softly. He watched Daryl stare at him with disbelief before nodding over to Rick.

Then just as quickly, Daryl had flung himself into RIck’s arms like he had done with Glenn and Rick was brought to his knees. Glenn looked away for privacy when he saw the tears trailing down Rick’s cheeks, and he saw the group of strangers still hiding in the trees. Frowning, Glenn stood up, and picked his gun off the ground as Maggie and the others came forward. Maggie’s eyes lingered on Daryl and Rick with disbelief, obviously wanting to see the boy for herself but she and the others kept their attention on the strange group that Glenn was watching.

“What’re they doing?” Maggie asked quietly. Beth and Carl both came up beside them and Glenn was proud that they came to help when he knew that wanted to hug Daryl.

“I don’t know. They’re armed though,” Glenn murmured as their light reflected off a gun in the leader’s hands. “They were behind Daryl.”

Maggie blinked in surprise. “Daryl? You think he was with them?”

“I can only guess. I think Daryl was trying to get the gate open.” Glenn admitted.

“Then maybe they’re not so bad.” Carl suggested hopefully. “If Daryl trusted them, maybe they’re like Michonne.” Said woman was standing behind Carl, with a heavily guarded expression.

“Unless he stayed with them to survive.” She said softly.

Maggie sighed heavily. “You think Merle’s with them?” Everyone had been scanning the crowd but it was too dark to see all of the faces. However, no one looked like they were missing a hand or like a gross red-neck pile of trash.

“I doubt it. Daryl...he wouldn’t bring...he wouldn’t bring Merle here.” Glenn whispered quietly. “It’s why he left in the first place. To keep us safe.”

Michonne’s grip on her weapon tightened. “This Merle is dangerous?”

“Very.” Glenn snarled. As he started to make his way towards the group of strangers, there was a small tug on his arm. Surprised, Glenn looked down to see Daryl holding his wrist in a tight grip. He looked far younger than Glenn had ever seen and he was struck with how  _ young _ Daryl was.

Sometimes people forget that Daryl’s just a kid. A kid that got the shit end of the stick and had seen more horrors than any of them. Glenn almost dropped everything to hug him again. However, he stopped when he saw Daryl’s frightened eyes dart at the group.

“Don’t hurt them. They came because I let them.” Daryl whispered so quietly that Glenn almost couldn’t hear him. “They’re not bad people.”

Glenn bit his lip. “Daryl, they’re strangers.”

“They’re not dangerous. I wouldn’t bring them if they were.” Daryl promised quietly and Glenn’s heart broke at the desperate tone in Daryl’s voice. _ Of course he wouldn’t! _

“I know you wouldn’t.” Glenn said.

“I promised them shelter. They’re good people.” Daryl tried again. Glenn glanced over at Rick and the others, noting their hesitance in letting strangers into their home. He shared a look with each and every one of them before looking out at the group of strangers behind the fence. Finally, he turned back to Daryl.

“Please Glenn,” Daryl said. “They save my life.”

Glenn was almost ashamed that that was all it took for Glenn to surrender. The others were quick to follow his lead, but everyone was still on guard. Glenn and Rick opened the gate and spoke out to the group first.

“Daryl says that you were with him.” Glenn finally said. The group of strangers murmured amongst one another before a man and woman stepped up.

“Yes. He told us of a place we could rest. And he brought us here.” The man said, jaw clenched.

“He says that you’re not dangerous people,” Rick eyed the man and woman before continuing. “Who are you?”

“My name is Sasha. This is my dad Tyresse. We’re survivors trying to get off the road. These people are our people, just as you have yours.” Glenn was impressed. She was calm and eloquent.

“Who are you?” The man, Tyresse, asked.

“My name is Rick and that’s Glenn. We’ve taken a hold of the prison and we don’t take lightly to those who wish us harm. Not after Woodberry.” Rick spat and Glenn nodded.

“Woodberry? You are against them?” Sasha gasped quietly. Instantly, Glenn and Rick felt tension run up their spine.

“They are our enemies.” Glenn finally said. Then Tyresse smiled for the first time as Daryl made his way beside Glenn. Glenn grabbed a hold of Daryl’s hand without protest. 

“Well if you’re against Woodberry then it would seem that we are on the same side.”

**Author's Note:**

> These two are so cute together, even in the show. Hopefully, it wasn't a crappy mess and it was maybe enjoyable? I might consider doing more chapters of this verse if anyone is interesting in that. Comments, kudos and such are always appreciated and make my day! Let me know what you guys thought of this little fic, and maybe Daryl will give hugs and kisses.
> 
> Thanks and peaceout!


End file.
